Teela's Decision
by livs2write
Summary: The Sorceress has a vision that will alter the course of Prince Adam's and Teela's lives forever, but can Teela live with the decision she makes?
1. The Vision

**Hello all! First of all, this is NOT the sequel to 'Making It Right'... this is the other story I've been working on. Right now I only have ten chapters written, so I don't know how long it will take me to finish. I hope that you enjoy this and again, this is not much of an action story; I prefer the relational/emotional stories to the action. Sorry if that is not your cup of tea, but you have been warned! I really want to take the time to thank Lanafalcon for her awesome help in giving this story a title! You rock my dear! Please take time to review and let me know what you think, but keep the flames to yourself! Enjoy!**

He-Man grabbed a boulder that was easily five times his size and hurled it at Skeletor, watching as it slammed into the villain and sent him sailing backwards into a rock face. Turning, he grabbed hold of Clawful and threw him into Trap-Jaw and Beastman.

Man-at-Arms shot his hand canon in Evil-Lyn's direction, scowling when she deflected the blast with her staff. He rolled quickly to avoid the blast of magic she sent in his direction and came up to try and blast her once more.

"Retreat," Skeletor screamed to his minions and in moments they had been caught up by the griffons that were controlled by Beastman and were flying towards Snake Mountain.

He-Man muttered a curse before he looked around to take stock of the condition everyone else was in. "Everyone all right?" he asked.

As the Masters all gathered around and reported that they were, indeed, all right he looked up and rolled his head to work some of the kinks out.

"I could help you with that," a feminine voice said softly close to him and he looked down to see Teela standing _very_ close.

He blinked and took a step away from her smiling and shaking his head. "Thanks, but I'll be fine."

Teela gave him a tight smile and nodded. "I'm heading back to the palace to see if I can find Adam," she told her father. "Since he disappeared as soon as the fighting started~ _as usual_~ I assume that's where he's gone."

Duncan looked in He-Man's direction and saw the frown on the Champion's face and he nodded. "All right, but be careful," he told his daughter.

Teela nodded and waved as she mounted her sky sled.

"We'll go with you," Stratos said as he and Buzz-Off took off and followed her when she lifted off the ground.

"I have to be going," He-Man told the rest of the Masters gathered before mounting Battle Cat's saddle and giving them a salute. "Come on, Cat!" he said and Battle Cat reared back and roared before taking off towards the forest.

"I wonder where he goes when he's not saving Eternia," Mekaneck pondered out loud as they watched the hero disappear.

Duncan didn't reply, but instead told the other Masters to head back to the palace as well and make their reports. He was just about to leave himself when he heard the Sorceress' voice in his head calling him into Castle Grayskull. "I'll be there shortly," he told the others. "The Sorceress needs to speak to me."

Mekaneck raised an eyebrow looking at Ram Man, Roboto and Cy-Clone before muttering something and then hopping into the wind raider Ram Man was waiting in.

Man-at-Arms watched them leave and then stood at the end of the stone bridge to wait for the drawbridge of the castle to open for him. The minute it touched the stone bridge, he stepped onto it and walked across into the castle and headed for the Sorceress' throne room.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked the Sorceress.

"Duncan, I've had a very unsettling vision and I am not sure what we should do about it," she told him.

"What is it?" he frowned.

"I have seen that if Prince Adam does not marry within the next month he will die," she told him. "But what's even more disturbing is that he must marry Teela... just simply marrying any young woman will not suffice."

"But I thought you said Teela was supposed to be your successor as the guardian of Grayskull," Duncan said, his frown deepening. "How can she be the queen of Eternia and the sorceress of Grayskull at the same time?"

"I do not know," the Sorceress replied. "Which is why this is so unsettling. Of course I would prefer that she be the queen and be married with lots of children, but I don't understand why all of a sudden her destiny seems to have changed so drastically."

"Are you certain about this new vision?" Duncan asked. "If Teela's destiny has suddenly seemed to change, maybe this new vision isn't set in stone either."

She shook her head. "No… I am sure that Adam will die if he's not married to Teela by the next full moons."

"That doesn't give us a lot of time," Duncan sighed. "How am I supposed to convince Adam, the king and queen and Teela? Especially Teela; she's not exactly been overly fond of him since he's taken on the role of the feckless prince."

"Bring them here and I will speak to them if that is the only alternative," she told him. "He must be married before sunrise after the night of the next full moons or he will die. Before you ask, no, he is not ill in any way; this threat comes from an outside source, though I cannot see exactly what that is at this point in time."

"Of course not," Duncan muttered. "I'll speak to Adam and the king and queen, as well as to Teela and then I'll let you know what they say."

She nodded and watched as he turned and left the throne room before she stood to look into her window and called once more upon the vision that had so unsettled her, trying to get a clearer picture of why the urgency for the prince to marry.

"Adam," he heard Teela call and he hid himself in the shadows to wait until she had passed before stepping out and sighing in relief. He looked down at his companion and reached down to scratch the big cat's ears affectionately.

"I thought she'd found us for sure," he murmured.

"I did find you," a scathing voice said from behind him. "Where have you been?" she demanded angrily. "You took off as soon as the battle started and I've been looking everywhere for you since I got back to the palace."

"I, uh, remembered something I had to do," he hedged, not looking at her.

"What could you have to do that is more important than protecting Castle Grayskull?" she asked icily. "Adam, I swear I don't know who you are anymore. You used to~"

"Teela," Adam said, glaring down at her. In the four years since he first became He-Man he'd grown quite a bit and now towered over her by more than six inches, even though she had grown a good couple of inches as well. "Just save it; you know I'm not going to answer you and then you're just going to get angrier and say something caustic, and then I'm going to get angry and either we'll end up in a fight or I'll leave and you'll go and complain to your father."

Teela stared up at him and suddenly realized how much taller he'd gotten than her, but she still was angry. "Then why don't you save us all the trouble by telling me what you've been doing while the Masters and I have been fighting off Skeletor?"

Adam sighed in resignation. "If only it were that easy," he muttered, turning away. "I can't tell you and you can't accept that."

Teela's scowl deepened as he stalked away from her with Cringer trailing along behind him. Sighing in exasperation she stomped off across the courtyard and into her father's workshop.

When she didn't see him inside she turned to go find the other Masters to see if they knew where he was, but her com-link beeped and she answered it. "This is Captain Teela," she replied into the device.

"Teela, this is Man-at-Arms," her father's voice said over the com-link. "What's your current location?"

"I'm in your workshop," she replied. "I came to speak to you."

"Meet me in front of the king's office," Man-at-Arms said. "I'm on my way there now. Bring Prince Adam with you."

"If I can find him," Teela ground out through clenched teeth, "Captain Teela out."

She stormed out of her father's workshop and looked about the courtyard, seeing Adam sitting on a wall of the fountain with Cringer sitting beside him, head resting on the prince's legs. She hurried over and stood behind him, placing her hands on her hips. "Prince Adam," she said bracingly. "My father wants us to meet him at your father's office; it sounds important."

Adam looked up and turned so he could see her before sighing. He stood and tilted his head in the direction they needed to go. "After you Captain," he said quietly.

"Oh no," she replied shaking her head. "I'm not letting you out of my sight; you go first."

Adam ground his teeth together to keep from replying and nodded once before moving in the direction they needed to go.

They arrived at the king's office and informed his father's aide that Man-at-Arms had asked to see them there and in a moment they were ushered into the office and into chairs.

Adam raised both eyebrows at Man-at-Arms when he saw his mother was also in attendance of this meeting and he wondered what was going on.

"This isn't going to be easy so I'll just get right to the point," Duncan said to them all. "After the battle today the Sorceress said she needed to speak to me. When I went into Castle Grayskull she told me that she has had a disturbing vision, but that she is absolutely certain that it is accurate. She said that she has seen that if Prince Adam is not married before the sun rises on the day after the next full moons, he will die."

"What?" the king exclaimed jumping to his feet at the same time the queen gasped and moved from her chair to stand beside her son, placing her arms around him. "Is he ill?" the king demanded.

"No," Duncan replied shaking his head. "No; he's not ill. She said that while she has been unable to see the exact cause, she does know that it is an outside threat that will bring this about."

"So I have to pick a wife in the next month?" Adam asked incredulously.

"Actually," Duncan said clearing his throat nervously. "That's the other part of the vision… she has seen that, for whatever reason, Teela is the one you have to marry to keep this from happening."

Teela jumped up at this, eyes flashing. "You've got to be kidding me! I have to marry _him_?" she asked disdainfully, pointing her finger at the prince. "No; no way."

Adam deflated and looked at the floor, but didn't respond to her outburst.

"Teela," Duncan said scowling in her direction. "The crown prince~ your best friend~ will _die_ if you don't do this."

"How do you know we can even believe what _she_ says anyway?" Teela demanded.

"She's never lied to us before," Duncan told her. "She may not always know the entire situation, but she has never deliberately lied to us."

King Randor looked at his oldest friend and most trusted adviser and saw that there was real concern in his eyes. "Is there some way for us to speak to her and have our questions answered?" he asked. "This has come as a shock to all of us, I'm sure."

Duncan sighed. He had hoped to keep them all from going to Grayskull, but he realized now that it was unavoidable. "She has given me permission to bring you all to Grayskull to speak to her."

"Then let us make all haste and go now," the king insisted.

Duncan nodded, and quickly made the arrangements, and in less than fifteen minutes they were all headed to Castle Grayskull to speak with the Sorceress.

Adam sat in the back of the wind raider with his mother in between him and Teela, refusing to look at any of them. Teela's reaction to being told she had to marry him to save his life was just one more humiliation in a long list and he didn't want to think about it. He would almost rather die than live with a wife who neither loved, nor respected, him and regardless of how he felt about her, it was obvious Teela didn't care about him any longer. He furiously blinked away the hot tears that formed in his eyes and pushed away the ache in his chest.

They landed in front of the ancient castle and disembarked from the wind raider, striding across the open drawbridge to speak to the Sorceress.


	2. Confirmation

**Thank you so much to everyone that has reviewed! I really appreciate it and it keeps me motivated! This story is based mostly on the 200x He-Man cartoons, but I did use some parts that I liked better from the 1980s version. Enjoy!**

The party entered Castle Grayskull after Man-at-Arms had informed the guards that had accompanied them to wait outside for them and made their way through the dimly lit corridors into the throne room of the Sorceress.

She was sitting on her throne at the top of the stairs and she stood when they entered and glided down to the bottom of the staircase.

"Welcome king and queen of Eternia," she said in her mellifluous voice as she inclined her head respectfully to them. "You have come for answers."

"Yes," Randor said clearing his throat and inclining his head in return. "Thank you for allowing us into the castle to speak with you."

She gave a small smile and nodded once.

"My father says that I have to marry Adam within the month or he's going to die," Teela said angrily. "How do you know that's really true? Why should we believe you?"

"Teela," her father said moving to stand beside her and placing his hand on her upper arm to restrain her. "You're being very rude."

Teela glared at him a moment before turning her glare on their hostess.

The Sorceress looked at her impassively and then turned her gaze to Adam, who was looking at the floor and had a dejected expression of complete hopelessness on his face. "I am an Oracle Teela," she said in a calm voice, "though I often wish it were not so. I have seen that Prince Adam must be married within the month or he will die and it must be you that he marries, Teela. I have tried to call the vision with him marrying some other young woman and in every instance he dies, as does the young woman he married… it is only when he marries you that he lives."

King Randor glanced at Queen Marlena. "What do you mean you've tried to call the vision with him marrying someone else?"

"When I receive a vision such as this, I will try to call different variations of it to see what would happen," the Sorceress replied. "It is one of the ways for me to test the vision to be sure that it is actually a glimpse of the future and not just a random dream. I have exhausted every possibility and they all come to the same conclusion; Adam and Teela must be wed before sunrise after the night of the next full moons or he will die."

"I have seen this same vision," a new voice said from behind them. "I was hoping that you would contradict me."

"Zodak," Duncan exclaimed in surprise.

Adam's head snapped up and he looked at the Mystic Warrior in dismay. "You've seen it too?"

"I have," Zodak confirmed with a nod. He looked at Teela and then at Adam. "Prince Adam, do you have an objection to taking Teela as your wife?"

Adam looked at the Mystic Warrior and then at the others in the room, avoiding looking at Teela. "Not at all," he said softly. "But I'm afraid she has plenty of objections to taking me as her husband."

Teela blinked in surprise at his answer, mostly because he was right. She was about to express what was on her mind when her father's grip on her arm tightened slightly and he shook his head nearly imperceptibly at her. Sighing, she looked at Zodak.

"Teela, do you object to becoming Prince Adam's wife?" he asked.

Teela's eyes darted to each person in the room before she deflated. "No," she said. "Not if it will save his life."

Adam pushed away the hurt he felt at the tone of her statement and silently prayed to the Elders that if they were being forced to marry one another that he could at least make her love him some day. But given the fact that he couldn't tell her his secret~ that he was He-Man~ it was unlikely that would ever happen.

"What about you, your majesties?" Zodak asked. "Do either of you object to Teela becoming the princess and being the future queen?"

King Randor looked at his wife and when she gave him a small smile he inclined his head to the Sorceress and Zodak. "None at all," he replied. "Thank you both for the warning," he said to them. "We shall begin wedding preparations immediately."

Duncan's eyes met the Sorceress' briefly before they headed back out to the waiting wind raiders and went back to the palace.

As soon as they were back at the palace the king suggested that they return to his office where he had dinner sent up for them all so they could discuss the wedding plans.

"The first thing we have to do is decide how big we want this to be," Randor said. "Everyone is going to question the reason for the rush so this could get tricky… and there is bound to be gossip and misunderstanding regardless of what we tell people."

Marlena made a face and nodded her agreement. "I wish we could insulate you both from that, but I'm afraid it's just not possible."

"What kind of gossip and misunderstanding?" Teela asked obviously confused.

"It means some people might spread rumors or believe that you two are getting married quickly because you were either caught in a compromising situation or because you are with child and we're trying to hurry up and marry you before it becomes common knowledge," the queen told her.

"What," Teela exclaimed. "They'd better not say anything like that or they'll have to answer to me," she said fiercely. "Damned busybodies…"

Randor looked at Man-at-Arms who sighed and nodded his understanding. He was obviously going to have to have a long talk with his daughter.

"Teela, dear," Queen Marlena said gently, "I'm afraid that is just one of the hazards of being royalty; people will talk and say terrible things that aren't true. We just have to ignore them when we can and kindly set them straight when possible."

Teela went to say something else and her father shook his head as he gave her a warning look. Sighing, she sat down and crossed her arms just as their dinner was delivered.

As soon as the servants had left them alone with their meal, King Randor looked at his wife. "I would think that about five hundred people should suffice, wouldn't you agree?"

"Yes," she replied with a nod. "I think that should be just about right." She looked at Adam and Teela. "The first thing you have to decide is who you want to have stand up with you as your witnesses. I'd say at least two people each, but no more than four… and it should be the same number of men as women."

"How long do we have to think about it?" Teela asked. She didn't have many friends that were women and she was concerned that it might be difficult to find people. The fact that she really didn't want this wedding to begin with didn't help matters any, either. She had never really thought about getting married and she had certainly never wanted to be a princess or the future queen. Being married to Adam wasn't such a terrible thing; after all, he was good looking, smart, funny and kind. But it was hard for her to think of being married to a man that was known for running from battles, flirting with every available woman at court and clowning around and being lazy all the time.

"I really need to know by tomorrow morning," Queen Marlena answered her question. "We're going to have precious little time to put this wedding together and I'll need to get the tailors started on everyone's wardrobe immediately. In order to do that, we'll need to know who is going to be in the wedding party."

"How about Tierna and Laraina?" she asked her father with a shrug.

"Those are your cousins aren't they?" the queen asked her.

Teela nodded; of all the women she knew, they were the only two she was even remotely close to. "They're my Aunt Moraina's and Uncle Desek's daughters and they're both fairly close to my own age."

Marlena looked at Duncan, who nodded his approval. "Very well then," she smiled. "Why don't you write them both a letter and ask them to be your witnesses and I'll make sure they get delivered tomorrow morning. They'll have to be brought to the palace immediately if they agree."

Teela's eyes widened and she blinked in surprise before nodding. She would have to get her father to help her write the letters since she had no idea what she would say in them and she had a feeling that 'I have to marry the prince so he doesn't die' wouldn't go over very well.

"What about you Adam?" his mother asked. "Do you have two men in mind to be your witnesses?"

Adam shrugged. "Do they have to be my age?" he asked.

"Not at all," his mother replied.

"Then I'll probably ask Ram Man and Mekaneck," Adam said, "since Duncan will already be in the wedding as Teela's father and he wouldn't be able to stand up with me; they're the two Masters I'm closest to after him."

Duncan smiled fondly at Adam. "I thank you for considering me though," he said affectionately.

Adam gave him a shy grin and nodded before lowering his eyes to his food once more.

"What about a guest list?" King Randor asked. "Is there anyone, specifically, either of you wants to invite to the wedding?"

"Just the Masters and a few of the guardsmen I'm friends with," Teela said.

Adam nodded. "I think the Masters are a given," he agreed. "I only have about five people beyond that I would specifically invite."

Marlena handed them each a piece of paper and told them to write down the names and when they handed them back to her she blinked in surprise. "Adam, I don't recognize these names."

"Morifor is a shopkeeper in town and Isella is his wife. Dornor is their son and Gisela is his wife, and Aniela is their daughter," he told them. "He owns the armory; they are good people and they're my friends."

King Randor blinked and when the queen looked at him in surprise he just shrugged. There was not really any good reason to deny Adam's request that they attend the wedding.

"Use some of my money to have new garments made for them all that are suitable for a royal wedding, but don't tell them that they're from me," Adam said. "Just tell them that everyone that is attending is getting new garments."

The king's eyes widened at this and he was about to say something when his wife shook her head at him and then looked at her son.

"We'll take care of it Adam," she promised.

"Thank you," Adam said softly. "Are we finished here?"

Marlena pursed her lips and sighed. It was probably a bit overwhelming for both Adam and Teela to suddenly have to face the prospect of getting married and they did have almost a full month to get everything prepared. She had a feeling Adam would be of little help in the decision making and Teela would probably only be marginally better. Looking at her husband and Man-at-Arms she gave a small shrug and nodded.

"Yes, we're finished here for now," King Randor said. "I expect the two of you to be available to your mother for whatever she may need from you. Also, we're going to have to start getting everyone used to the idea of the two of you as a couple, so starting immediately the two of you will be formally courting. You will appear at all formal functions and court gatherings together and Teela," he said, looking directly at the captain of the guard, "I'm afraid that effective immediately you are relieved of your duties as captain of the guard. We can't take a chance that you could be seriously wounded or even killed before the wedding takes place and afterwards you'll be the princess and future queen. You would have to give up your position after the wedding anyway so we may as well get everyone used to the idea now."

Teela's eyes flashed but she wisely held her tongue and nodded to the king. "Yes your majesty," she said softly.

Adam gave her an apologetic look and turned away when she just glared at him. "May we be excused now?" he asked his father.

"Yes," the king replied.

Adam stood and quickly left the room, hurrying down the corridors towards the royal suite and his own bedroom.

Teela stood and stopped when her father told her to go straight to their suite to wait for him. With a nod and an internal sigh she left the king's office and went to the suite she and her father shared in the royal wing.

"Well, that was incredibly tense," King Randor said to his wife and Man-at-Arms.

"Sire, I apologize for Teela~" Duncan began but was cut off by the king raising his palm to silence him.

"Duncan, she's twenty years old and has just had her entire life turned upside down," Randor told him. "I'm sure that she'll come around. After all, she and Adam were best friends for most of their lives."

Duncan looked at Marlena and saw his own concern that she might not come around, but he nodded to his king and asked to be excused before heading to his suite.

King Randor let his aide know that they were finished with their meal and then he waited for Marlena to gather the items she needed before they left his office and headed to their own suite for the night.


	3. Decisions, decisions

**Thank you for all of the awesome reviews! I appreciate every one of them!**

Teela awoke and realized that since she was no longer captain of the royal guard she had no idea what she would be doing. She climbed out of bed and went into her bathing chambers to start her bath running and stood scowling in the mirror as she recalled the conversation she'd had with her father the night before.

Man-at-Arms had returned from the king's office and had chastised her for her rude behavior towards the Sorceress, the disrespect she had shown the king and the general disdain she had shown towards Prince Adam. He had lectured her on her duty and told her that her feelings were valid and perfectly normal, but that they didn't give her a right to treat others badly or to behave in an unsuitable manner. He had then proceeded to tell her what was expected of her and that he would not tolerate inappropriate behavior from her anymore.

She hadn't been lectured like that since she was a small girl and it made her angry because she felt humiliated and ashamed.

Her father had also asked her if she had taken the time to notice how Adam had behaved and when she had told him that she hadn't really been paying much attention, he pointed out that Adam had been very aware of her feelings about marrying him and had looked like someone had just taken away his best friend~ which, in effect, was exactly what had happened.

Climbing into the hot water Teela sorted through her memories of the previous evening and realized that her father was right; Adam had looked disappointed and nearly depressed, but she didn't feel that it was her fault, or even her responsibility.

She cleaned up quickly and changed into her usual attire, realizing that she was going to have to go shopping since she no longer had to wear her uniform and armor. She hadn't worn 'civilian' clothing unless it was required for a diplomatic mission or a formal gathering she was required to attend since she joined the royal guard at the age of fourteen. She realized that she had absolutely no idea what she would be expected to wear and that she would have to speak to the queen to find out.

Teela had finished dressing and had gone out to have breakfast when there was a knock on the door of the suite. She answered the door and was met by a huge bouquet of flowers held by a nervous-looking servant.

"Captain Teela," the servant said in a slightly wavering voice, "these are for you."

Teela blinked at the man and then nodded. "Um, okay… come in," she said uncertainly. "Go ahead and find someplace to set them that seems suitable."

The servant did as she asked and then turned to bow to her. "They're from Prince Adam; he sent this note with them," he told her, handing her a sealed envelope. "Good day to you."

"Good day to you," Teela replied as she looked at the envelope in her hand as if it were a poisonous live snake. When the servant was gone she broke the seal and began reading.

'_Teela: I know that you don't really want to marry me and I can't say that I blame you. It hardly seems fair that you have to give up the career you love and have worked for your whole life to become a princess and the future queen just to save my life. I know how much you despise the courtiers and their constant gossip and scheming; at least you weren't born into it and have the choice whether or not to be a part of it._

_Teela, if it's really going to make you desperately unhappy to be my wife I'll call the whole thing off. I would rather die than force you to live a life that you wouldn't be able to stand living and have you resent me for it for our whole lives. You mean too much to me. Don't worry about my parents if you should choose not to marry me; I'll tell them I'm refusing to marry you and take my father's wrath upon myself. Love always, Adam._'

Teela's eyes filled with tears as she re-read the note and then moved to look at the huge bouquet of flowers he had sent. It contained all of her favorites and in the middle stood a single bright red Eternian rose… it was the flower men all over Eternia gave to women to tell them that they loved them.

"Oh Adam," she murmured softly before she sat heavily in the nearest chair and began to sob.

Man-at-Arms came out of his bedroom dressed for the day and found Teela in a weeping heap and rushed to her side. "Teela; dearest what's wrong?" he asked in concern.

"Adam, he…" Teela murmured something unintelligible and waved her hand towards the bouquet before thrusting the note at him.

Duncan raised his eyebrows and read the note before looking at the bouquet and smiling softly. Leave it to Adam to get through to his girl when nothing else could.

"The center flower is a red Eternian rose," she hiccuped. "You do know what that means don't you?"

"I may be an old soldier, but I am quite aware of the symbolism of that particular flower," her father told her with a small smile.

"I know he said in the note that he would call off the wedding if I was going to be unhappy, but how could I even think of doing such a thing now?" she wailed. "Why does he have to be so noble and so… good?"

"Because it's who he is dear-heart," Duncan said softly, caressing her cheek and wiping away her tears with his thumb.

Teela nodded and sniffled, accepting the handkerchief her father handed her and dabbing at her eyes. When she'd finally pulled herself together she sat up and looked at her father. "What am I supposed to be doing now that I'm not captain of the guard anymore?" she asked him.

"I'm not sure," he answered. "You'll need to speak with Queen Marlena and find out what her plans are for you."

Teela nodded and sighed. "I suppose we should have breakfast."

"Teela," Duncan said eying his daughter. "I know what Adam said in the note and I know he means what he says, but you won't ask him to call the whole thing off will you?"

Teela shook her head. "No," she replied her voice breaking. "I won't ask that of him. I'll find a way to make this work and be happy as his wife."

"He really does care for you," her father told her gently. "Please give him a chance."

"I will," Teela promised nodding again.

"Let's go have breakfast," her father said taking her hand and helping her from the chair.

They went into the eating area and Duncan lifted the warming covers from their breakfast and they ate together in silence. After they had finished eating Duncan hugged his daughter and went off to his duties and Teela headed towards the queen's office.

Teela braced herself and knocked on the door and when the queen's aide opened it she gave her a small nervous smile. "I'm here to see the queen," she told her.

The aide opened the door and let her in and Queen Marlena looked up from the table she was working at. "Teela, dear, good," she said with a smile. "Did you write your letters last night?"

Teela nodded and pulled out the sealed envelopes containing the letters her father had helped her compose to her cousins asking them to stand as her witnesses when she married the prince.

"Thank the Ancients," Marlena sighed in relief. "I can send these out with messengers right away and if they agree we can have them brought back to the palace immediately."

Teela stood there awkwardly and nodded.

"Oh, do have a seat child," the queen said when she realized Teela was just standing there. She looked at her aide. "Moira, please send for four guardsmen and then show them in as soon as they arrive," she said.

Moira curtsied and bowed her head before leaving the solar to do as the queen asked.

A knock sounded on the door and Marlena looked at Teela. "Get that, would you dear? It should be Adam with Mekaneck and Ram Man."

Teela's eyes widened and she stood, swallowing back her nervousness as she answered the door. Sure enough, it was Adam and he was accompanied by the two Masters. "Come in," she told them, closing the door behind them.

"Ram Man, Mekaneck," the queen smiled at them, "did Adam tell you why he's brought you here?"

"Deh, no your majesty," Ram Man said glancing at the prince as Mekaneck shook his head negatively.

"Adam," his mother sighed in exasperation. She placed her hands on her hips when he just stood there staring at her for a moment. "Adam, for goodness sakes; don't you think you ought to ask them since they'll be your witnesses?"

Adam shifted from one foot to the other nervously and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked at his feet. "Um… I… um…" he cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask you both to stand as my witnesses at my wedding at the end of the month," he said looking nervously up at the stunned Masters. "I really want the two of you up there with me."

"Deh, who are you marrying?" Ram Man asked.

Adam cleared his throat and glanced at Teela, surprised when she smiled at him and nodded. "I'm marrying Teela," he told them looking up with a nervous smile.

Ram Man and Mekaneck both looked at Teela in shocked surprise.

Teela stepped forward so that she was beside Adam and put her arm around his waist before looking at the Masters. "It's true," she assured them.

"I wasn't aware that the two of you were courting," Mekaneck carefully. "Forgive me, but you two haven't exactly come across as a couple of young lovers."

Adam looked distressed and Teela blushed.

"It was kind of sudden," Teela told them. She looked at Adam and tilted her head in the direction of the two men.

"So will you be my witnesses? Please?" Adam asked placing his arm around Teela so that his hand rested on her hip.

"Of course I will," Ram Man said with a big smile. "Congratulations you two."

"Thanks Rammy," Adam smiled.

"I would be happy to stand with you," Mekaneck told him.

"In that case," Queen Marlena smiled at them, "you two will need to go to the tailor's immediately to be measured for your wedding garments. We're trying to keep this a small affair so please do not tell anyone about it."

"Yes your majesty," Rammy and Mek said at the same time as the queen ushered them out the door and again instructed them to go straight to the palace tailor's.

The queen had barely closed the door when Moira entered with the guardsmen. Marlena handed the letters Teela had written to them along with letters she'd prepared for the girls' parents and told them that they were to deliver them to Teela's cousins and that they were to wait for a reply. If the young women agreed, they were to be brought to the palace immediately. She told them what was going on and then instructed them that no one was to know but the young women and their parents and she also told them that their parents could accompany them to the palace as well. As soon as the guards left, the queen turned back to her desk near the window.

"You don't have to stand here with me anymore," Adam said quietly to Teela. "Everyone is gone except Moira."

"I got the flowers and the note you sent this morning," Teela told him, also keeping her voice low. "They were beautiful." She paused a moment and looked into his eyes. "Adam, I don't want to call off the wedding. I appreciate the offer, but I want to do this."

Adam frowned slightly. "Are you sure? Teela, you've always said that you would hate to be the queen and I know you can't be happy about having to marry me. I'm not exactly a shining example of stellar husband material," he said softly, looking at the ground.

Teela's eyes watered and she placed her free hand on his chest and moved so she could see his eyes. "Adam," she said quietly. "You are a good man and I am extremely fortunate to be getting you for a husband."

Anything he was going to say in reply was cut off by the queen's voice as she called the two of them over to her desk and told them to take a seat.

"We have to make some quick decisions here so that everything can get ordered. First off, what kind of flowers would you like?" she asked them.

Adam looked at Teela and nodded.

Teela told the queen what her three most favorite flowers were. "And red Eternian roses," she said glancing at Adam. "We have to have red Eternian roses."

The queen paused and looked at them, raising an eyebrow in curiosity. "Okay…" she replied, making note of it. It was obvious that neither of them were going to elaborate so she let it go for now.

"Now, what colors would you like to be your theme colors?" she asked.

"I've always been fond of green," Adam said when Teela looked at him.

"Green is good," Teela agreed.

"Okay, so we need a good color to complement the green," the queen told them.

"Silver?" Teela suggested.

Adam nodded and then shrugged. "Sounds fine to me," he said.

"Silver then," Teela told the queen.

Marlena nodded and made more notes before looking up at the two of them. "Now, about the menu for the reception…"

Adam looked at Teela and rolled his eyes and Teela stifled a giggle. They both realized that they were probably going to be there for the rest of the day helping the queen make plans for the wedding.


	4. Courtship

**THANK YOU for all of the awesome reviews! First off, I need to say that I do not own any of these characters and I am not making any money off of this... I am just doing this for fun and no infringement on anyone's rights is intended. I am sorry, but the Snake Men _will not_ be making an appearance in this story. For the sake of this tale they were defeated and are no longer a threat to Eternia. I know a lot of people liked them, but the whole idea of humanoid snakes always really creeped me out! That being said, please enjoy the rest of the story as we continue.**

Teela fidgeted nervously with the sleeves of the dress she wore, scratching at her neck where the collar was making her itch, and sighed as she followed the servant who was leading her through the corridors of the palace.

They arrived at their destination and the servant opened the door and then stepped aside and bowed to her, motioning for her to enter the room.

Teela stepped into the private dining room and blinked at the setting. The room was alight with candles and a small cluster of musicians played softly in the corner farthest from where a table for two was set in the finest china, silver and crystal.

Adam stepped forward and held his hand out to her bowing slightly and kissing the top of her hand. "You look beautiful," he told her with a small smile. He was wearing pair of charcoal gray fitted pants tucked into black boots made of soft leather and he wore a royal blue fitted shirt with a charcoal gray vest held closed by a black belt. The shirt brought out the color of his eyes and Teela couldn't help but stare as he led her to the table and held her chair for her.

"Thank you," she murmured as he sat across from her and poured her a glass of wine.

Adam admired Teela in the dress she wore. It was a light jade in color with darker green around the collar and the hem of the sleeves, accented with gold vine designs and her hair hung in long, loose waves down her back.

A servant came in and set the first course of their meal before them and they began to eat in an awkward silence.

"Whose idea was all of this?" Teela asked finally, trying to start a conversation.

"Um, actually it was mine," Adam said nervously. "Is it too much?"

"No," she assured him. "I'm just kind of surprised."

Adam nodded and they fell silent again. They barely spoke through the second course of the meal, either.

When the main course of their meal was served, Adam swallowed his second bite and looked at Teela. "So has my mother told you what you'll be doing now that you won't be captain of the guard anymore?" he asked.

Teela shook her head. "Not yet," she replied. "She took me shopping today for new clothes and then we spent the rest of the day in her solar going over wedding plans. Now that my cousins are here, she's got them helping with everything, too."

"I know she warned your father that Ram Man and Mekaneck will be commandeered for wedding preparations at a moment's notice," he told her. "She also told him that she may use the other Masters to help, depending on how tight the schedule gets the closer we get to the day of the wedding."

"Let's hope Skeletor doesn't decide to attack anytime soon," Teela grimaced. "I'm surprised she hasn't roped He-Man into helping."

Adam bit his lower lip and fought back a grin at the mental image that produced. He could just see his mother ordering him around as He-Man to prepare for his own wedding. "Yeah," he just said instead.

After a few minutes Adam looked at her. "Teela, are you in love with He-Man?" he asked.

Teela blinked at him and quickly swallowed the mouth full of food she had, barely avoiding choking. "What makes you ask that?"

"I've seen the way you look at him," he said quietly. "I just... I just wondered."

Teela frowned slightly as she tried to recall when Adam would have seen her with He-Man. As far as she could remember, she'd never seen the two of them in the same place at the same time. "No," she shook her head. "I don't _think_ it's love," she told him honestly. "Infatuation maybe, lust…" she blushed and shrugged, "probably and more than just a little hero-worship, but I'm not sure that it's love."

Adam's face flamed and he swallowed before nodding. "Have you ever been in love before?"

Teela was quiet as she contemplated his question for a few moments before again shaking her head. "No, not really; I've had a few crushes and have even thought I was in love before, but it wasn't real love. Not the kind that your parents have. How about you? Have you ever been in love before?"

Adam's gaze turned intense as he looked at her and he spoke so softly she almost missed his answer. "Yes."

Teela shifted uncomfortably and looked down at her plate. "This is really good," she said trying to dispel the sudden tension.

Adam looked disappointed for a moment but turned his attention to his own plate. "Yes, it really is," he replied. "I'll have to thank the kitchen staff for doing such a fine job."

Teela nodded and they finished their meal in silence.

Dessert was brought in and they talked about her father's most recent invention and the latest chess match between Roboto and Man-E-Faces' robot persona and then Adam asked Teela to dance with him.

"I'm not much of a dancer," she flushed in embarrassment.

"You're going to be the princess and the future queen," Adam reminded her. "It's better to practice now in private than stumble through it when we're at the first big gala we have to attend."

Teela took his outstretched hand and allowed him lead her in a graceful waltz. "You're an excellent dancer," she told him, obviously surprised.

Adam shrugged and then smiled at her. "Thank you," he replied.

They danced two more dances together and then Adam returned her to her seat and poured them each a glass of chilled wine.

"I'm sorry that you have to give up your position as captain of the guard and that you can't even be in the royal guard anymore because of me," Adam finally said. "I know how hard you worked to get that position and you deserve it. I also know that there have been plenty of people over the years that have been less than kind about it and it makes me sad and angry that you have to just give it up because of me."

"Thank you Adam," Teela said quietly. "That means a lot to me. I'll be okay with it eventually; it's just kind of new and I'm trying to adjust to the idea, especially since I have no idea what your mother has planned for me."

"Well, you know my mother isn't idle and I seriously doubt she'll allow you to be either," Adam told her with a small smile. "I'm sure she'll have plenty for you to do."

Teela returned his small smile and nodded. "I'm sure you're right."

"If you're finished I'll escort you back to your suite now," Adam told her.

"You don't have to do that," she told him.

"Actually, I kind of do," Adam said sheepishly. "It helps that I want to do it, though."

Teela flushed and nodded before standing.

Adam held his arm out to her and they left the dining room and strolled through the corridors of the palace ignoring the stares and startled looks they were receiving as best they could.

"We're going to be the talk of the palace," Teela groaned softly so that only Adam could hear.

"That's kind of the idea," he told her with a raised eyebrow.

"I _hate_ being the center of palace gossip," she murmured. "How do you stand it?"

"I don't have a choice," he said quietly.

Teela looked at him and realized that he was right. Straightening her shoulders and tilting her chin up slightly, she leaned a bit closer to him.

Adam noticed and smiled.

They walked to the suite she shared with her father and Adam turned to face her when they were standing in front of the door.

"There's an official dinner at court tomorrow night," he said, "and I know how much you despise them but we really should attend together… would you accompany me to dinner at court tomorrow night my lady?"

Teela gave him a small smile. "I would…" she stopped before she could finish the sentence. "Of course I will," she replied, then shrugged at the amused look he gave her. "What? I didn't want to lie."

Adam laughed heartily and lifted her hand to kiss the back of it. "I shall pick you up thirty minutes prior to dinner and escort you to the great hall."

"I shall see you then," she said in a regal tone and they both laughed.

"Good night," he said.

"Good night," she replied and then opened the door and disappeared inside the suite.

Adam smiled and turned away to begin walking back towards his own room. He was determined to make Teela fall in love with him, hopefully before their wedding night. He frowned pensively when he considered that he was completely inexperienced and though he thought Teela was too, he wasn't entirely certain. But he didn't want to offend her by asking her.

He thought about who he could ask about what he was supposed to do on his wedding night and he didn't really like the choices. Duncan was out; Teela was his daughter and it would be all sorts of uncomfortable to ask him how to go about making love to her. His own father wasn't really on his list either; his father could barely stand to be in the same room with him so having a heart-to-heart wasn't likely, especially about so personal a subject.

He could probably ask Mekaneck, seeing as how the Master had been married before his wife's untimely death, but he worried that asking him would bring back memories for his friend that were painful and he didn't want to be cruel. He didn't really want to ask any of the soldiers since they were nearly as bad about gossip as the courtiers, just in a different way~ and he didn't want any of them thinking about Teela in _that_ way.

That left Darius, the chief healer and Adam sighed. Darius had been taking care of him and Teela since they were babies and even though it was bound to be awkward, he was the one person he knew he could ask that would not only tell him the truth, but would also keep their conversation private.

Making his way to the infirmary he knocked on the old healer's office door.

"Come," he heard the gruff response and he opened the door.

"Darius," he asked as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "Are you busy?"

"Prince Adam," Darius looked up in surprise, "is something wrong your highness?"

"Um, you probably haven't heard yet," Adam replied taking a seat in front of his desk, "but I'm getting married to Teela at the end of the month. We're not announcing it because we're trying to keep it small."

Darius' eyebrows rose at this. "What's the big hurry?" he asked cautiously.

"The Sorceress of Grayskull had a vision and if I don't marry Teela by the time the sun rises the day after the next full moons I'm going to die," he told him. "We're trying to keep our enemies from finding out so they don't try to stop the wedding."

Darius' eyebrows nearly met his hairline and he stood to his feet. "What? Are you ill? Why didn't anyone say anything to me?"

"No, I'm not ill," Adam assured him. "The Sorceress said that it's an outside threat, though she doesn't know for sure what that is. That's not why I'm here."

Darius sat back down and looked at Adam curiously. "Oh? Why are you here?"

Adam took a deep breath and let it out explosively. "I'm getting married in a month and I've never~ I haven't~ I'm not~" he sighed and swallowed. "I'm still a virgin and I'm assuming Teela is, too. I don't know who else to ask about what's supposed to happen on our wedding night and I know that I can trust you to tell me the truth and keep our conversation to yourself."

Darius smiled slightly and nodded. "What do you want to know?"

"I know the basics of what sex is all about… the mechanics of it… between what I learned in biology and what I've seen watching the animals in the royal zoo, but I'm sure there's more involved than that," Adam said. It was obvious by his red face and his fidgeting that he was uncomfortable. "I don't want to hurt her or do something that is wrong, so I need to know what I'm supposed to do."

Darius sat with Adam for the next hour telling him what he wanted to know and answering all of his questions. Then he stood and removed a book from his bookshelf and handed it to the prince.

"This explains it in detail and has illustrations," Darius told him. "I give it to all my young men and women who come in here with the same questions you have. It's written as an instruction manual of sorts, but it also talks about the emotions involved and how to make it an enjoyable experience for you both. I have to warn you that it is very graphic, so don't leave it just lying around where anyone can find it."

Adam gulped and nodded. "Do you want it back?"

"No," Darius smiled indulgently. "I order several copies at once and give them away as necessary."

"Thanks Darius," Adam said quietly.

"You can always come to me with any other questions you have," Darius assured him. "I just thought this might help you."

Adam nodded and thanked the old healer once more before standing and leaving the infirmary. He kept the book tucked tightly under his arm until he got to his room where he closed and locked his door before he sat down and began reading. Two chapters in he slammed the book closed, face flaming, as he bit his top lip.

"Elders," he breathed. "How am I supposed to do _that_?" he asked of no one in particular. Swallowing hard, he put the book in the drawer of his night table and went to prepare for bed, opening the door to let Cringer in before he settled down to sleep.


	5. The Announcement

**As always, thank you to everyone that reads and especially those that take time to review. I don't own the characters/places depicted in this story and I am not making any money from the use of them. Just having some fun and no infringements on anyone's rights is intended. I have about twelve chapters written now and I will post as often as I can. On we go...**

The next evening Adam knocked on the door to the suite Teela shared with Duncan and waited for someone to answer.

Teela opened the door after a moment and she smiled at him in embarrassment. "Do I look stupid?" she asked bluntly.

Adam blinked and shook his head. "You look amazing," he breathed.

Teela looked at him with wide eyes. "Really?" she asked uncertainly. "I feel like a trussed up ninger bird."

"Well, let me tell you, those ninger birds have got nothing on you," he grinned. Turning serious, he took her hand. "Honestly, Teela, you look… breathtaking."

Teela blushed and closed the door to her suite.

She was wearing a shimmering gold gown that was made of silk and had an off the shoulder design. The dress fit her lithe form like a glove and the outside layer of the skirt and the sleeves were made of an iridescent sheer material. Her hair was again hanging down her back, but this time it was curled and pulled back off of her face with ribbons of gold that mingled with the curls of her hair.

"I have something for you," Adam said handing her a small velvet box that was tied with a single white silk ribbon.

Teela glanced at him curiously as she accepted the box and removed the ribbon before lifting the lid and gasping in shocked surprise. "Adam, I can't~ this is too much," she said uncertainly. "What will people say if I show up wearing this?"

"That you're probably the future princess?" he suggested with a small smile. "That's kind of the idea," he stage-whispered before lifting the delicate diamond tiara from the box and placing it atop her head so that the combs caught her hair in just the right way to keep it in place.

"Can I~ um, would it be okay if I went to look in the mirror for a minute?" she asked nervously.

Adam smiled and nodded.

Teela ducked inside her suite and ran to the mirror in her bedroom to check her reflection and blushed. She really did look almost like a princess, she thought. Setting the box on her dressing table, she made sure the tiara was secure and that she looked all right before going back out to join Adam.

"I don't know what to say," she told him, blushing. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied, leaning forward to kiss her cheek gently. "Let's go, shall we?" he asked, holding his arm out to her.

Teela accepted the proffered arm and they began to make their way to the great hall.

Adam had a small smile on his face at all of the stares and the excited whispers as they made their way to the hall to join his mother and father. When they entered the hall conversation came to a halt and everyone stared at them in surprise for a moment.

King Randor stood and moved to welcome them, taking Teela's hand as she curtsied gracefully to him and releasing her hand before clasping his son on the shoulder.

Teela immediately placed her hand back in the crook of Adam's arm when he held it out to her again and allowed him to lead her to her seat where he held her chair for her. As soon as she was seated he sat to her left, which was on the right side of his father.

The king instructed the servants to begin serving the meal and soon dinner was well underway.

Adam kept leaning over to whisper to Teela all through dinner, sometimes making a joke that would cause her to laugh, sometimes complimenting her on how beautiful she was and other times making comments about the courtiers that would either make her laugh or cause her to blush.

She was about to say something about what people would think if he kept it up, but then she realized that they would think exactly what they were supposed to: Adam and Teela were now officially a couple.

Teela sighed and closed her eyes for a moment as she tried to come to terms with that fact herself. In less than a month she would be married to Prince Adam. How strange was that?

"You okay?" Adam queried as he saw the look on her face.

Teela's eyes snapped open and she gave him a smile and nodded. "Just thinking about how surreal this all is," she told him.

Adam smiled sympathetically and nodded in agreement.

As soon as the dishes had been cleared after dessert everyone watched Orko perform his magic tricks before Man-E-Faces gave a recitation of the battle of Enthor and then the orchestra began to play.

Adam stood and bowed to Teela and held out his hand. "May I have this dance my Lady?" he asked formally.

Teela swallowed nervously and smiled at him as she nodded and took his hand. "Of course Your Highness," she said and stood.

Adam led her to the dance floor and pulled her to him, placing his right hand at her lower back and holding her left hand in his as he led her gracefully around the floor.

Teela was painfully aware of the stares and whispers going on all around her. She noticed that more than one of the courtiers was giving her looks that could kill.

"Don't let them bother you," Adam told her when he saw where her gaze was aimed.

Teela looked into his eyes and smiled slightly. "I'm trying not to, but I get the feeling that any one of them would tear my heart out if they had half a chance."

Adam kissed the tip of her nose. "Which is why you are so much better than them," he told her. "You wouldn't hurt anyone without just cause to."

"You don't think they have just cause?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Adam snorted. "No; the only reason any of them are interested in me at all is because I'm going to be king someday and they all want the chance to be queen. I'll bet not one of them cares two coppers about me as a person; they just want the power and money that comes with being the queen."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," she said softly. "That must be very hard for you."

"You have no idea," he sighed. "Thank the Elders I won't have to worry about that anymore," he smiled down at her.

Teela smiled back at him as the song came to an end and they returned to their seats.

The evening progressed and Adam and Teela had to go and 'mingle' with the crowd. Adam held his arm out for Teela and she took it deciding it was best to stay close to him.

"Prince Adam would you like to dance?" Lady Dianara asked him with a coy smile.

Adam smiled politely at her. "I'm afraid I must decline," he told her. "I have promised to remain by Lady Teela's side the entire evening."

Teela could almost feel her skin sizzling at the look Lady Dianara shot in her direction.

"Forgive me for asking, but are the two of you courting?" asked Lord Myron.

"We are," Adam smiled at the man.

A messenger came and whispered something to the prince, who nodded and thanked him before excusing himself and Teela from the small crowd that had gathered around them. He led her back to the royal table and his parents stood before him and Teela.

"I suppose there are a lot of questions regarding the status of your relationship?" the king asked him.

"I'm afraid so," Adam sighed. "I suppose it's natural; it is just frustrating."

"Your father and I feel that perhaps now would be a good time to announce your official engagement," the queen said quietly. "We won't say _when_ the wedding is, just that there will be one in the near future. That should satisfy everyone's curiosity and still allow us to plan the wedding without any interference."

"I think that it's a good idea as well," Man-at-Arms said from behind Teela.

Teela nearly jumped out of her skin as she swiveled around to look at her father. "You scared me half to death!"

"I'm sorry dearest," he smiled slightly down at her. "But the king and queen are right; it will keep the courtiers from pursuing Adam and the men will stay away from you."

Teela was about to ask him what he meant by that, but she was cut off by Adam's voice.

"I think it's probably a good idea," he said before looking at her. "What do you think Teela?"

Teela swallowed and nodded. "Okay."

King Randor nodded and then he held his arm out to his wife and led her to the dais where their thrones sat.

Adam held his arm out for Teela and the two of them followed with Man-at-Arms behind them.

King Randor motioned for them to join them on the dais and he had Adam stand at his right, with Marlena on his left, her hand still tucked into his arm. That put Teela at Adam's right with Man-at-Arms standing next to her on the other side.

"My Lords and Ladies of the court," King Randor called everyone to attention. "It gives me and Queen Marlena great joy to announce that our son, Prince Adam, has become engaged to be married to Lady Teela who is the daughter of Duncan, the future Duke of Equestria and the kingdom's Man-at-Arms."

There were gasps of surprise and ripples of murmured conversation as everyone absorbed this announcement before people began to applaud.

Adam turned towards Teela and looked in her eyes. "Don't kill me," he murmured before he pulled her to him and kissed her gently.

The applause got louder and some even cheered for the young couple as Adam released her and smiled tenderly at her.

Teela let out a tiny squeak of surprise when he kissed her but she didn't resist him. When he pulled away, she returned his shy smile and blushed prettily.

Adam moved back to his original place and took her arm again as his father ordered that wine be served to everyone to celebrate their engagement.

After everyone had been served their wine and a toast to the couple had been made, Adam and Teela moved to the main floor and stood accepting congratulations from everyone for quite some time.

Teela could tell whose congratulations were sincere and whose was just obligatory because Adam was the crown prince and she had to stifle the desire to slap several of them. Somehow she managed to keep a smile on her face and remain gracious.

When the line of well-wishers had finally dissipated, Adam held his arm out for Teela and she smiled and took it.

"Would you care to take a walk with me in the gardens or are you ready to retire to your suite?" he asked her as they left the great hall.

"I think a walk in the gardens sounds lovely," she smiled.

They walked in silence to the gardens and when they got there Adam glanced shyly at Teela before he spoke. "I'm sorry if I upset you with that kiss," he said softly.

Teela blushed, glad that the darkness hid it from him. "You didn't upset me," she replied. "It surprised me, but I wasn't upset."

"Good," Adam sighed in relief.

They sat on a bench in the center of the garden and looked up at the moons, which were currently at quarter-moon phase.

"Only twenty-six days before they'll be full again," Adam said softly.

"Does it feel as surreal to you as it does to me to think that in twenty-six days we'll be getting married?" Teela asked.

"Yeah," he nodded. "Are you sure you're okay with all of this?"

"It will be a transition," she said quietly, "but I'll be okay with it."

Adam nodded. He tentatively reached out and took her hand. "Is this all right with you?"

She smiled shyly and nodded.

"My mother told me earlier that we're being given the suite on the west side of the royal wing," he told her. "She said that we'll need to meet with the royal architect and the decorator to have them get started on renovating it the way we want it first thing tomorrow."

"What time is good for you tomorrow?" she asked.

"I thought we could meet with Mother about the wedding plans right after breakfast and then go take a look at the suite as it is before we meet with the royal architect and the decorator to talk about what changes we'd like to make, if that's okay with you."

"That sounds fine," she said. "I had no idea there was going to be so much to do before we get married."

Adam smiled and shrugged before nodding. "It is a little overwhelming."

Teela shivered slightly and Adam stood and helped her up.

"You're getting cold," he said unnecessarily. "I'll escort you back to your suite now."

When they arrived outside the suite she shared with her father she stood up on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Good night," she said softly.

"Good night," he replied and waited until she'd gone inside and closed the door before he made his way to his own room. He smiled as he got ready for bed as he thought about the night and Teela's reactions. Maybe their getting married wouldn't be a disaster after all.


	6. Dilemma

**Again, THANK YOU to everyone that takes the time to read and, especially, to review! I appreciate you all so much! The usual disclaimers apply: not mine and I'm not making any money off of this so please don't sue. If I owned them, I could write full time instead of working part-time for the world's largest retailer (and worst employer)! Hope you enjoy this chapter.**

Just two days before the wedding Adam and Teela took a final walk-through of their newly renovated suite to see if there were any last-minute changes that needed to be made. They were pleased to find that it was exactly what they had wanted.

"I think you can go ahead and move in if you'd like to now that it's ready," Adam told Teela. "It's completely up to you."

Teela sighed and then smiled at him. "Why don't we have all of our things moved in today, except what we'll need until the wedding? I already promised my cousins I'd stay with them until the wedding."

Adam gave her a smile and nodded in agreement. "Then we'll be more or less moved in on our wedding night and we won't have to worry about it afterwards; sounds good to me."

They thanked the royal architect and the royal designer for their hard work and then they made their way towards Queen Marlena's solar.

"Do you know what my mother wants to see us about?" Adam asked Teela as he held her hand.

In the weeks since finding out they were going to be married, Adam and Teela had spent much of their time together. Most of it was regarding wedding plans, dealing with the remodel of their new suite, learning what would be expected of them as royal newlyweds at court or actually attending functions together as a couple to get everyone used to the idea that they would soon be married.

Adam still made sure that he was properly courting Teela, however. Quiet dinners for two, walks in the gardens and showering her with gifts and flowers were all things he did to try to show her that this wedding was more than something he was being forced into.

He hadn't yet told her that he loved her, but he planned to tell her on their wedding night when he made love to her for the first time. Swallowing hard, he pushed the butterflies that rose into his throat back to his stomach. He couldn't help the nervous feelings he had whenever he thought about their wedding night and what would happen. Reading the book Darius had given him always made his face flame and caused him physical responses he wasn't very familiar with, which increased his nervousness.

Teela stopped and turned to face him, raising an eyebrow. "Did you even hear my answer to your question?" she asked.

Adam grimaced and looked at her apologetically. "No, sorry; I got distracted thinking about our wedding night…"

Teela's eyes widened and she blushed as she averted her gaze. "Oh. Um… care to share what you were thinking?"

Adam took her hands in his and waited for her to look at him. "Just that I'm really nervous and that I don't want to do anything to hurt you or mess it up."

Teela looked surprised. "You're nervous too?"

Adam shrugged and blushed once more. "Well, yeah; I've uh… I haven't…" he cleared his throat and swallowed again. "I've never done…_it_ … before so I don't exactly know what I'm supposed to do."

Teela blinked in surprise and leaned closer to him. "You're a _virgin_?" she asked in stunned disbelief, keeping her voice low so they wouldn't be overheard.

Adam flushed again and nodded before looking at her uncertainly. "Aren't you?"

Teela reddened and then looked at the floor. "Well, yeah, I am," she said quietly. "I just… for some reason I didn't expect you to be."

"Does it make it better or worse to know I am, too?" he questioned uncertainly.

"Better," she said decisively, "definitely better."

Adam smiled slightly and placed a finger under her chin, gently tilting her face up so she was looking at him. "Good," he said before leaning forward to kiss her chastely. "Now, my mother is probably wondering what's keeping us so we should get going."

Teela accepted his hand once more as they began to make their way through the corridors of the palace. "As I was saying," she told him, "your mother wants to go over last minute wedding details and then we're both supposed to have our final fittings for our wedding garments."

They were just outside the doors of the queen's solar when Man-at-Arms cleared his throat. "Prince Adam, may I have a word with you privately for a moment please?" he asked.

Teela frowned in puzzlement as Adam nodded and then told her to go ahead in to see his mother and he would join her in a few minutes.

As soon as she was inside and the door had closed, Adam followed Duncan to an empty office and shut the door.

"Is something wrong?" Adam asked uncertainly. Since this whole thing had started, Adam had been unsure of how to behave around his mentor. It was kind of awkward for him that he was about to marry the man's daughter.

"I just left a meeting with your father," Duncan sighed. "All of the Masters will be attending the wedding and the king is insisting that He-Man show up as well. I tried to make excuses, but he is worried that if He-Man doesn't at least make an appearance, it will be a sign that he doesn't support the union between you and Teela and that could cause potential problems later on."

"What are we supposed to do?" Adam asked with wide eyes. "I can't be in two places at once~ well, one place as two different people, anyway. I'm supposed to show up to support myself?"

Duncan gave him a warning look before he replied. "I was thinking that maybe at some point you could tell Teela that you need to use the lavatory and then He-Man could make a short appearance then," Duncan suggested. "I'll speak to the Sorceress about casting a spell to keep anyone from questioning why the two of you aren't seen together. Once He-Man has made an appearance, he could say that he has someplace to be and make a hasty exit."

Adam groaned and then sighed before nodding. "I suppose there's nothing else we can do."

Duncan nodded his agreement and then looked at the young man. "How are you doing? Are you ready to be a married man?"

Adam smiled slightly and shrugged. "I'm okay. I guess I'm as ready as I'm going to be."

Duncan chuckled and nodded. He eyed his young charge for a moment before he spoke once more. "I have been very impressed with the way you've been treating Teela these past weeks and I appreciate you doing everything you can to make this easier for her."

Adam blushed and looked away for a moment. "I love her," he said quietly. "It's the least I can do."

Duncan blinked in surprise. "You love~? When did that happen?"

Adam glanced at his mentor and sighed softly. "I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but I realized it about a year ago… when she nearly died because of that black jewel Skeletor hit her with the magical beam from? I remember pacing through Castle Grayskull waiting to hear something from you or the Sorceress and begging the Elders not to let her die. It suddenly occurred to me that I was hopelessly in love with her and I didn't have a clue what to do about it. Especially since I knew that she wasn't exactly fond of me anymore."

Duncan frowned slightly at this and sighed softly. "I had no idea."

Adam shrugged and smiled slightly. "I didn't want anyone to know."

Duncan nodded slowly and then looked at Adam once more. "Your mother will skin me alive if I keep you from wedding plans any longer so you'd best get in there."

Adam smirked as he headed for the door. "It never ceases to amaze me how you and my father are both terrified of Mother; she's such a tiny little thing."

"Aren't you afraid of her?" Duncan asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Point taken," Adam grinned before he opened the door to his mother's solar and stepped in.

"Adam, there you are," the queen said as she looked up when he entered, "good. We have a lot to do and only a few days left before the wedding. Gareth is in my office waiting for you to try on your wedding garments so he can see if there are any last minute alterations that need to be made."

Adam smiled at Teela and then blinked when his mother spoke again.

"Adam, _now_," she said firmly.

"Yes Mother," he replied and hastened into her office.

"Now Teela," the queen said turning her attention to the young woman, "I have the final list of flowers the florist is planning to use to decorate the hall for the celebration banquet and I want you to make sure that they are okay with you."

Teela read over the list and nodded her head before handing the paper back to the queen. "Those are fine, except you might want to remove the bromate daisies; Adam's allergic. I would suggest marvellas in the same color, instead."

The queen turned wide eyes on Teela. "Adam's allergic to bromate daisies?" she asked. "I had no idea!"

Teela shrugged one slender shoulder and sighed. "He fell into a patch a few years ago and his eyes turned red and swelled nearly shut, his nose was running and he sneezed like crazy. Healer Darius had to give him a shot and told him to stay away from them from then on."

"He never told me that," the queen said as she wrote a note and then handed it to Moira and instructed her to make sure the florist got it immediately. As soon as Moira was gone the queen turned back to Teela and went down the list of final wedding preparations, detailing everything and making sure there were no last minute changes or additions to anything.

Adam had returned about half-way through and informed his mother that his garments for the wedding fit perfectly and were ready for the wedding.

The seamstress showed up when they were nearly finished and took Teela away to have the final fitting of her wedding gown. When she returned nearly an hour later, she told the queen that everything was perfect and that the seamstress would personally see to it that the gown was delivered to the room where Teela would be getting ready on the day of the wedding.

The alarms sounded all of a sudden and Adam sighed as he stood. "I have to go," he told his mother and Teela, just as the call from the Sorceress sounded in his mind. Without waiting for a reply, he ran out of his mother's solar and through the halls of the palace.

"Adam wait," Teela called as he ran out the door. "Where are you going?"

The queen looked at Teela with raised eyebrows and put her arm around the young woman as they watched Adam disappear down the corridor.

Teela wanted to give chase and find out where he was going, but she knew that she couldn't be seen running through the halls in the dress she was wearing. Her days as captain of the royal guard were over and she hated that she had to stay behind and behave like a princess.

Adam found Cringer sleeping in their favorite spot in the stables and he pulled his sword.

"By the power of Grayskull," he said as he raised the sword in the air. In a flash of light he became He-Man and the words, "I have the Power!" spilled from his lips before he pointed the sword at his shivering companion. With another flash of light and a mighty roar, Battle Cat stood before him.

"To Castle Grayskull," He-Man said as he sheathed his sword and jumped into the saddle on the great cat's back.

Battle Cat roared again and took off at a dead run towards the ancient castle.

He-Man and Battle Cat arrived shortly after the Masters did and he jumped out of the saddle and landed in front of Skeletor, pulling his sword nearly simultaneously. "Freeze Skeletor!" he said as he placed himself between the evil creature and Castle Grayskull.

"Oh, I think not, _He-Man_," Skeletor said in his nasally voice as he aimed his havoc-staff at the hero and fired a blast of magical energy at him.

He-Man slid backwards a few feet as he was hit with the magical bolt and shook his head slightly to clear it before he launched himself towards Skeletor, knocking his staff out of his hands.

Skeletor pulled his own sword and the two warriors engaged in a fierce battle. At one point, Skeletor got in a lucky blow and sliced He-Man just below the ribs.

He-Man hissed in pain, but he managed to dodge another slice in his direction as his blade connected with one of the dual blades Skeletor's sword had become. The shallow cut stung like crazy but it wasn't the distraction to the hero Skeletor had hoped for.

They continued to thrust, block and parry for several more minutes until Skeletor finally realized that all of his evil warriors were down and with a final roundhouse kick, he sent He-Man flying through the air and then sheathed his sword and called his havoc staff to him with a wave of his hand before being lifted into the air by one of the griffons that were controlled by Beastman.

"We'll do this again another time," he laughed insanely as he and his evil group disappeared out of sight.


	7. Kidnapped

**As always I want to thank everyone that takes time to read and, especially, to review. It keeps me motivated! Disclaimers in previous chapters. Enjoy!**

He-Man got back on his feet and sheathed his sword before taking a few steps forward and grabbing his side with a hiss of pain. He made his way towards the group of Masters to make sure everyone was all right and then leaned heavily on Battle Cat.

"He-Man, you are bleeding," Roboto said as he looked at the warrior.

"What?" Duncan exclaimed. "Let me see."

"It's fine," He-Man said turning away from his mentor.

"He-Man," Duncan said sternly. "Let me see how bad your wound is."

He-Man made a face and moved his hand as Man-at-Arms moved closer to look at it.

"That looks like it could use some stitching," he murmured.

"It'll be healed by morning," He-Man told him.

Duncan raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," He-Man nodded.

"He-Man are you gonna be at Prince Adam's and Teela's wedding?" Ram Man asked.

"I can't be there for the actual ceremony, but I'm going to try to at least make an appearance at the reception to wish them well," He-Man replied. "I'm very happy for them."

The other Masters smiled and nodded in agreement and then He-Man thanked them all for their time and assistance before he and Battle Cat took off towards the forest.

Once he was out of sight he pulled his sword and called on the power of Grayskull to help him heal and then he and Battle Cat headed back to the palace. He was going to be late for dinner at court and Teela and his father were probably going to be furious.

As soon as they were back on the palace grounds he returned the power and then hurried to his room to shower and dress for dinner. He had just left his room when a servant approached him.

"Your highness," he said, "Lady Teela will meet you in the dining hall; she will be running a little late this evening."

"Thank you Durnic," Adam smiled at the servant. As soon as Durnic was gone Adam smiled broadly. Teela was running late so that meant that she probably wouldn't realize that he was, too. Hurrying towards the dining hall Adam peeked inside to see if Teela was there yet and, seeing that she wasn't, Adam grinned and moved over to a large flower arrangement just outside the doors. He plucked a long-stemmed dark red Eternian rose from the arrangement and waited for Teela to arrive.

Teela entered the foyer of the dining hall and was surprised to see Adam casually leaning against a pillar waiting for her. She returned the smile he sent her way and blushed when he held out a dark red Eternian rose for her and bowed to her.

"For you my Lady," he said.

"Thank you," she replied. "You didn't have to wait for me."

Adam shrugged casually. "I wanted to. Is everything all right? It's not like _you_ to be late."

Teela blushed slightly and nodded. "I had an appointment with healer Darius that ran a bit later than anticipated."

Adam immediately looked at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

Teela smiled slightly and blushed again as she nodded. "Yes; he wanted to see me before the wedding to do a thorough checkup and to have healer Senedra have a talk with me… you know, about what's supposed to happen after the wedding?"

Adam blinked and then turned a little pink himself. "Oh… how did that go?"

Teela raised an eyebrow archly and then rolled her eyes. "How do you think?"

Adam chuckled softly and nodded slowly as he held her chair for her in the dining hall. As soon as they were both seated, his father looked over at them and then leaned over towards him.

"What kept you?" he asked quietly.

"Teela had an appointment with healers Darius and Senedra that ran longer than they expected it to," he told him softly. "Don't worry; it was just a routine checkup before the wedding."

His father nodded and smiled at him before leaning over to talk quietly to his mother, no doubt filling her in.

When dinner was finished and everyone had been excused for the evening, Adam escorted Teela back out to the gardens and they sat on their favorite bench near the fountain.

"All of my things were moved into our new suite this afternoon," Teela told him. "I've been staying in the suite my cousins are sharing while they're here, so I had the few things I wanted before the wedding sent there earlier today."

Adam nodded. "My things were moved today as well," he told her. "I'll still be in my room until after the wedding, though. I don't know about you, but I'm really nervous about all of this; our lives are about to change in a major way."

"Yeah," Teela murmured. "I am pretty nervous, too."

They were quiet for a moment before Teela looked intently at him.

"Where did you go this afternoon when the alarm sounded?" she asked.

Adam swallowed. "I, uh, went to see what I could do to help."

Teela frowned slightly. "Ram-Man and Roboto said that you weren't at the battle at Castle Grayskull."

Adam shifted slightly and looked at the ground. "I didn't say I was."

Teela sighed. "Where do you go when you run off like that?"

Adam kept his head down but looked up at her with pleading eyes. "I wish I could tell you, I really do, but I gave my word not to tell anyone."

Teela bit her bottom lip and resisted the urge to scream in frustration. She took several deep breaths and then nodded in resignation. "Will you ever tell me?"

"I hope someday I'll be allowed to," he replied. "I hate keeping this from you."

Teela's eyes widened and she realized that he was telling her the truth. That would have to be enough for now. "Okay," she said as she looked towards the fountain.

Adam really wanted to kiss her, but he didn't want to push her and mess up any chance he had of making her fall in love with him. Shifting slightly, he took her hand in his and smiled at her. "How many children do you want to have?" he asked suddenly.

Teela's head jerked to face him. "What?"

"Surely you know we have to provide at least one heir to the throne," Adam said, searching her face for clues as to what she was thinking. "I hate being an only child, so I've always wanted at least three of my own. How many children do you want to have?"

Teela blushed and then shrugged. "I really don't know," she said. "I had never even really thought about getting married, much less ever having children. I was always so focused on my career that those things just never really appealed to me."

Adam nodded and looked down at the ground. "You haven't thought about it at all over the last month?" he asked softly.

"I've thought about our getting married and I knew it would be expected that we provide an heir to the throne, but I haven't really thought much beyond that. I'm open to having more than one child and maybe even three, but I think it will depend on how I like being a mother after we have _one_ before I can really make a decision."

"I think that's fair," Adam nodded and then he smiled at her. "I really want you to be happy."

Teela smiled shyly. "Thanks."

"There you are Teela," a girl's voice said from not far away.

Teela looked over and smiled at her cousin. "Did you need something Laraina?" she asked.

"Tierna and I have a surprise for you, but it can wait if you're busy," Laraina said with a big smile. "I'm sorry to interrupt Prince Adam," she said with a small curtsey.

Adam smiled at her and inclined his head. "It's quite all right," he assured her. He looked at Teela and stood, taking her hand and kissing it lightly as he bowed slightly to her. "My Lady, I will go and leave you in the capable hands of your cousins."

Teela laughed at him. "Adam! I'll see you tomorrow," she said.

Adam winked at Laraina as he walked away and left the cousins alone and made his way to his bedchamber.

Laraina took Teela's hand and led her back into the palace and to the suite that her cousins were sharing. It was decorated with flowers and ribbons and there was a cake and several bottles of wine sitting on one of the tables that had been set up in the sitting room. The other table was covered with gifts and there were several young women, some of whom were young courtiers that had become friends of Teela's in recent weeks and others were members of the royal guard, sitting on the sofas or in chairs around the room.

"What is this?" Teela asked in surprise.

"It's a party to celebrate the bride," Tierna said happily and led her to the center chair.

As soon as Teela was seated Laraina and Tierna began by handing out cake and glasses of wine to everyone. The young women all talked about the upcoming wedding and, more importantly, the wedding night. There was a lot of blushing and giggling as they discussed what they expected the wedding night to be like for Teela.

"I bet he's had lots of practice so you don't have anything to worry about," Lady Madesyn finally said with a smile.

Teela shook her head. "No actually, Adam says that he's never… um, he hasn't ever been with anyone in that way either," she said, blushing furiously.

All the girls' eyes widened at this news. "Really; oh, wow, that's so… sweet," Lady Madesyn replied. "I'm actually really surprised, though. He always seems like such a flirt."

Teela shrugged and Tierna announced that it was time for some games. Since she wasn't really a fan of most games Teela thought that it was going to be terrible, but the games her cousins had come up with were actually kind of fun and a few of them were more than a little embarrassing.

As soon as the winner of the last game was announced Tierna told Teela to sit back down and started handing her gifts to open.

By this time more than a few of the young women were becoming intoxicated and the giggling was growing louder and the comments more lewd as each gift was opened.

Teela herself had had more than she was accustomed to drinking and she was flushed from both the wine and embarrassment as she opened another package and pulled out a see-through wisp of fabric that wouldn't leave anything to the imagination.

"Oh, I bet Prince Adam will love to see you in that," Laraina grinned.

"I bet he'll love to see her out of it more," laughed Tierna. "Although, you could probably wear it while you two…" she trailed off and giggled. "It doesn't have a bottom and the top looks like it would open rather easily."

Teela blinked and blushed before placing the garment back into the box it came from and she hesitated before opening the last one. As she lifted the lid and pulled out the dark green silk negligee with matching robe, she smiled brightly. This had been sent from her cousin Zaina, who wasn't able to attend the wedding since she was expecting a baby any day now, but Teela knew immediately that this was the outfit she would wear on her wedding night. It was alluring without being as revealing as some of the other items she'd received.

The party continued for several more hours and finally Laraina and Tierna began to shoo the other women out the door. Several needed guardsmen to escort them back to their rooms, since they were too intoxicated to walk on their own power.

Teela hugged her cousins and they all giggled as they staggered back to their sleeping chamber to go to bed, each of them walking unsteadily and frequently bumping into one another and the walls. They all three climbed into the over-sized bed in the room and lay there talking and giggling for a while longer before they finally began to doze off.

Teela was the last one to fall asleep. In less than forty-eight hours she would be Princess Teela and married to the heir to the throne. Her stomach jumped slightly at the thought and she placed her hand over it and took a few deep breaths.

Adam's earlier question came back to her and she lowered her hand, placing it over her womb. How many children did she want? She had never pictured herself being a mother. Not having had a mother of her own while growing up, she didn't think that she would make a very good one. True she had Queen Marlena to look to as an example~ and a fine example she was~ but Teela still worried. She also wondered how soon they would be expected to produce an heir to the throne. From what she understood, most couples only had sexual relations on their wedding night and when they were trying to produce a child. Did that mean they couldn't be together in that way unless they wanted a baby right away?

Sighing, Teela decided she'd worry about it later. Her mind was too fuzzy to think about anything serious anymore tonight.

Turning on her side, she closed her eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.

Several hours later, she startled awake and found herself being grabbed by a rough, hairy hand.

"Don't make a sound or the girls next to you will die," a rough voice said as she was hauled from the bed.

Teela could make out the forms of Beastman, Triclops and Evil-Lyn in the darkness and she nodded to let them know she understood.

Giving Teela a leering grin, Beastman pulled her towards the window as Evil-Lyn placed a note on the pillow where Teela had been lying. A moment later they were all being carried off by griffons with Beastman holding Teela tightly to him as they headed towards Snake Mountain.


	8. Rescue

**Thank you to everyone that takes time to read and review. You are appreciated! Just so ya'll know: Adora won't be making an appearance in this story. :-( I love Adora/She-Ra but I just don't feel led to add her to the storyline this time around. Sorry! I hope you'll enjoy this anyway. On we go...**

'_Prince Adam,_' the Sorceress' voice woke him up from a sound sleep, '_Teela is in grave danger! Skeletor is holding her prisoner in Snake Mountain; He-Man is needed!_'

Adam sat bolt upright and climbed out of bed quickly, dressing as fast as he possibly could before looking at Cringer. "Sorry old pal," he told the frightened tiger, "but Teela is in trouble; He-Man and Battle Cat are needed to go save her."

Cringer nodded to his friend and tried to remain still as he watched him pull the Power Sword from the sheath on his back and call upon the power of Grayskull. He couldn't help cowering as Prince Adam became He-Man and pointed the sword in his direction and in a moment he felt the surge of power as he grew in size and stature and became Battle Cat with a mighty roar.

He-Man pushed open the window in Adam's room that led to the balcony and then leapt onto Battle Cat's back. "Come on Cat," he said, "to Snake Mountain!"

Battle Cat leapt out the window onto the balcony and then down to the palace courtyard where Man-at-Arms and the other Masters were already gathering.

"He-Man," Duncan said in relief, "thank goodness! Did the Sorceress contact you, too?"

"Yes, she did," He-Man said as he looked at those gathered. "Teela and Prince Adam are supposed to be married tomorrow and Skeletor has taken her prisoner; we have to get her back safely before the wedding."

"It would be terrible if they had to postpone the wedding because we could not get her back in time," Cyclone said.

He-Man exchanged a look with Man-at-Arms before replying. "There is something you all should know. The wedding cannot be postponed because Prince Adam and Teela are getting married tomorrow for a very specific reason; if they are not married before sunrise the day after tomorrow, Prince Adam is going to die."

There were exclamations of surprise and disbelief from the Masters and it took a moment for them to settle down enough for He-Man to continue.

"The Sorceress had a vision nearly a month ago and she told the royal family, Teela and Man-at-Arms that Prince Adam and Teela needed to be married before sunrise the day after the next full moons or Prince Adam would die," he explained. "Teela agreed to marry the prince and they have been trying to keep it as quiet as possible for just this reason; they were afraid Skeletor would try to stop the wedding so that Adam will die."

"Then we must do everything that we can to get her back posthaste," Stratos stated with a deep frown, "for we must not allow any harm to come to Eternia's heir."

The others all murmured in agreement.

"Then let's go," He-Man said as he nudged Battle Cat forward.

Those who could fly followed He-Man while those that could not hurried to the waiting windraiders and trailed after them as quickly as they could.

He-Man had everyone gather a short distance away from Snake Mountain. "Skeletor is going to expect us to try and rescue Teela," he told them all, "so we have to be on our guard. This is most likely a trap so everyone pair up and we'll move in."

Man-at-Arms gave the instructions as to who he wanted paired together. "Ram-Man and Stratos, Buzz-Off and Mekaneck, Cyclone and Roboto," he said quickly. "I'm going with He-Man."

They spread out as soon as they entered Snake Mountain and began searching for Teela. Within minutes, the sounds of fighting throughout the evil sorcerer's domain could be heard.

"I told you my father and the Masters would come for me," Teela's voice echoed through the halls. "You're in trouble now!"

"Silence girl," Skeletor's voice snapped at her. "I'll drop you right now if you don't be quiet!"

He-Man, Battle Cat and Man-at-Arms turned into the cavern the voices were coming from and He-Man's heart leapt into his throat at the sight that greeted him. Teela's wrists were shackled together and she was suspended over a drop of at least two hundred feet into a river of lava. He dismounted from Battle Cat and took a step towards the evil villain.

"He-Man," Skeletor greeted the hero casually, "nice of you to join us. As you can see, the future princess is a bit tied up at the moment or I'm sure she would be ready to leave this place."

"Let her go Skeletor," He-Man said in a low, dangerous voice.

"Really; you want me to let her go?" Skeletor asked. "Well, if you insist." He waved his wand and the chains holding Teela disappeared and she began to fall, her screams echoing through the caverns around them.

"Teela!" both He-Man and Man-at-Arms yelled at once, rushing forward. When they reached the edge of the abyss she'd fallen into, there was no sign of her and her screams had silenced.

"No," He-Man said softly, shaking his head in denial. "NO!" he shouted as he pulled his sword and went after Skeletor.

Skeletor cackled maniacally as he shot bolt after bolt of magic at He-Man, but the hero used his sword to deflect every one of them. "The cowardly prince of Eternia is done for!" he gloated as he backed up several steps while still shooting blasts at He-Man. "That little snipe Teela is dead and Prince Adam will be dead by sunup the day after tomorrow!"

"I'm going to kill you Skeletor," He-Man yelled as he continued to advance on the evil creature. "You're mine!"

"He-Man," Man-at-Arms' voice sounded frantically from behind him. "He-Man, stop! Stop now!"

He-Man refused to listen as he advanced on Skeletor and the villain realized too late the mistake he had made as he barely managed to pull his sword in time to stop the hero from lobbing off his head.

"Interesting," Skeletor said as he and He-Man continued their sword duel. "You're in love with her…"

He-Man refused to answer as he backed Skeletor into a corner and held his sword at his heart, gazing at him with a hatred he never knew he could feel.

"He-Man," Man-at-Arms said firmly as he placed a hand on his shoulder. "If you kill him out of anger then you are no better than him… Teela wouldn't want you to destroy who you are over this; let him go and let's go back to the palace to break the news to everyone else."

He-Man allowed the tip of his blade to barely pierce the skin above Skeletor's heart before he finally released the villain and took a step back. He was about to turn away when he suddenly turned around and punched Skeletor in the face and knocked him unconscious. Allowing the limp form to slide to the ground, He-Man turned and climbed onto Battle Cat's saddle, waiting for Duncan to climb up behind him before they headed out of Snake Mountain.

They found the other Masters gathered near the windraiders and Duncan climbed down solemnly as he looked at them.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, "we failed. Teela~" his voice broke and he dropped to his knees, eyes full of tears.

"Is right here," Teela's voice said as she stepped out from behind Stratos and Buzz-Off with a grin.

Man-at-Arms' head snapped up and he barely managed to catch his daughter as she launched herself into his arms. "Teela," he exclaimed in shock, "oh, Teela, my little girl…" He trailed off and just held her close to him for a moment, making sure she was real. "How did you survive?"

Teela released him and looked over at Stratos with a grateful smile. "Stratos caught me," she answered, "and kept me out of sight until we all got out of Snake Mountain." She looked over at He-Man and smiled tentatively. "Are you all right?"

He-Man had started when he heard Teela's voice and he watched in stunned amazement as she hugged her father, tears slipping down his cheeks in relief that she was alive and well. When she asked him if he was all right he took a deep breath and nodded his head. "Yes Teela," he replied with a small smile, "I'm fine; I'm glad that you are unharmed." He looked at the others, who were all giving him odd looks. "You need to get Teela back to the palace; I'm sure everyone knows she's missing by now and Prince Adam is going to be relieved that his bride is safe and sound. I'll see you all later on." With that, he and Battle Cat took off and disappeared.

Teela's eyes filled with tears as she watched him go, but she bit them back and took a deep breath turning to face the others with a small smile. "Come on," she said, "we need to head back."

Man-at-Arms murmured his agreement and he climbed into the windraider Teela had just gotten into. Ram-Man joined them and soon they were all on their way back to the palace.

Laraina opened her eyes and blinked blearily at the light streaming in through the windows before she climbed out of the bed and headed to the lavatory, barely noting that Teela was no longer in the bed.

Tierna stirred and groaned as her head throbbed. She opened her eyes and rubbed the grit out of them before sitting up and looking beside her at the now empty bed. A piece of paper on Teela's pillow caught her attention and she reached for it, yawning as she opened the note to read what it said. She had to refocus her eyes several times, but she realized with horror what it was saying and she screamed loudly and began sobbing hysterically.

Laraina rushed out into the room in a panic and looked at her cousin as if she'd lost her mind. "Tierna, what on Eternia has gotten into you?" she asked.

Tierna thrust the note at her still sobbing uncontrollably and shaking her head in disbelief.

Laraina read the note and her eyes widened just as there was a loud banging on the main door to their suite and a male voice called out to ask if they were okay. A moment later several guards burst into the door of the sleeping chambers ready to do battle.

"Are you all right? What's wrong?" one of the guards asked as he and the others looked around the room for signs of an obvious threat.

"Teela has been taken by Skeletor and he says he's going to kill her so that she can't marry Prince Adam and he will die," Laraina said as she thrust the note at him.

The guard took the note and read it quickly before ordering two of his men to stay and question the women further while he went to alert the king and Prince Adam.

He went to the suite the king and queen shared first, saluting the guards that stood outside of the suite and filling them in. The king's guard frowned slightly and knocked on the door of the suite, calling out to the royal couple.

"Your Majesties," he called as he banged on the door, "wake up! There is an emergency!"

A few moments later the king opened the door and looked tiredly at the guards standing before him. "What is it Zacharias?"

"Sire, I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's an emergency that requires your immediate attention. Captain Teela has been kidnapped by Skeletor; he plans to kill her so that the wedding will not take place and Prince Adam will die," he told the king before handing him the note that the other guard had brought.

Randor's eyes widened as he listened and then he read the note from Skeletor and crumpled it in his fist as he cursed softly. "Gather the Masters and Man-at-Arms in the courtyard and I'll be there in a few moments… and someone go fetch Prince Adam!"

He turned to go back into the suite so that he could dress while the guard who had delivered the news to Zacharias hurried to do as the king commanded.

By the time King Randor and his personal guards had gotten to the courtyard, Man-at-Arms and the Masters were returning from Snake Mountain with Teela. The king looked at them in surprise as they made their way over to him.

"Your Majesty," Man-at-Arms said as they approached the king. "What has you up so early this morning?"

"I was awakened by the guard this morning informing me that Teela had been kidnapped by Skeletor so that the wedding would not take place and Prince Adam would die," the king said raising an eyebrow at his old friend.

"Sire," Duncan said shifting uncomfortably, "I'm sorry I didn't alert you before we left; I was obviously not thinking clearly. My only concern was rescuing Teela and I apologize for not informing you immediately of the situation."

The king gave him a small understanding smile. "I forgive you," he said, "and I understand. If it had been Adam that had been taken I don't know that I would have kept a level head myself."

Duncan bowed his head in thanks and they both turned when they heard Adam's voice call across the courtyard.

"Teela," Adam called as he hurried over to where they were all gathered, "are you all right?"

Teela nodded her head as Adam came closer and took her into his arms to hug her. "I'm fine."

"What happened?" he asked, pulling back to look into her eyes.

Teela quickly told him and the king what had happened and then Adam hugged her once more.

"Thank the Elders you're safe," he said softly. It hadn't escaped his notice that Teela wasn't returning his hugs.

"Thank you all for bringing Teela home safely," King Randor said to all of the Masters gathered around. "I'm sure that you're all very tired after having been awakened so early this morning; go and get some much deserved rest my friends."

The Masters had been watching Adam and Teela, but turned their attention to the king when he addressed them and then thanked him as they went to rest.


	9. Contemplation

**Thank you for all the amazing reviews! I appreciate them all! I love that I am keeping you all guessing! LOL! Please keep the reviews coming as they are keeping me motivated! I got my own laptop for my birthday so I am writing every spare moment I have, but I am also trying to finish an older story of mine on another fandom. Anyway, I hope you like this next chapter! Here we go...**

As soon as the Masters had left them alone, King Randor spoke to Man-at-Arms about setting up a security detail to protect both Adam and Teela and about increasing the security for the wedding. A plan was made and King Randor told them they could go, so Adam kept his arm around Teela and led her into the palace.

Queen Marlena met them as they entered the palace and told them that she had ordered breakfast for all of them sent to their new suite and they headed in that direction. The moment they were inside Adam's and Teela's suite, she pulled Teela close to her and hugged her tightly. "I'm glad that you are safe my dear."

"Thank you Queen Marlena," Teela said softly as she returned the queen's hug.

Breakfast was brought up and served by a kitchen maid and they sat down at the table in the small kitchen in the suite to eat.

"There isn't really much to do for the wedding tomorrow," Queen Marlena told them as they ate. "There are a few last-minute details to take care of, but I can handle those; I think it would be best if the two of you stayed close together for today."

Adam nodded in agreement and Teela gave the queen a small smile as she nodded as well.

As soon as the queen left them alone, Teela looked at Adam.

"Where were you this morning?" she asked. "My father, He-Man and all the Masters were there to get me out of Snake Mountain, but I didn't see you there anywhere."

Adam frowned slightly. Her tone wasn't accusing, it just seemed… flat. Sighing internally, he looked into her eyes and once again cursed the Elders for insisting that he keep his identity as He-Man a secret. "I came to find you as soon as I knew you were missing," he told her honestly as he looked her in the eye. 'Just not as Prince Adam,' he thought bitterly.

Teela bit her top lip and relaxed, nodding her head. If the king hadn't been told that she was missing until the guard had informed him this morning, it was unlikely that Adam had known before then, either. "I know you did," she said finally, though inside she was still questioning why her father hadn't brought Adam along.

There was a knock on the door and Adam cautiously went to answer it, smiling at the two anxious young women standing in the hallway. "Come in," he said to them as he stepped out of the way to allow them entrance.

Laraina and Tierna rushed forward to hug Teela as soon as they saw her.

"Thank the Elders you're safe," Tierna exclaimed.

"We were so afraid when we found Skeletor's note," Laraina added. "Was it terribly frightening for you?"

Teela returned her cousins' hugs and shook her head. "I'm used to fighting, remember?" she replied. "I was angrier than I was scared; I knew my father, He-Man and the Masters would come for me."

"Prince Adam, you must have been terrified when you heard that Teela had been captured," Tierna said shyly.

Adam looked intently at Teela and nodded slowly. "You have no idea," he replied softly. "I've never been so frightened in my life."

"There's just one thing I don't understand," Laraina said as she looked at Teela. "Skeletor's note said that he was going to kill you so that you couldn't marry Prince Adam and he would die… what does that mean?"

Teela looked questioningly at Adam and he nodded slightly in consent. The secret was out now; there was no sense in hiding the truth any longer.

"Nearly a month ago the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull told us all that if Adam and I weren't married to one another before sunrise the morning after the next full moons that he would die," Teela said with a sigh. "We've been trying to keep it quiet so that this very thing wouldn't happen."

Tierna looked at them with wide eyes. "So you two don't _want_ to get married to each other, but you have to in order to keep the prince alive?"

"We want to get married," Adam assured her. He frowned slightly when Teela looked away before looking at her cousins and giving them a wan smile before she gave them a short nod.

"Well, it helps that you love each other and want to get married," Tierna said in relief.

Laraina quirked an eyebrow at her cousin but otherwise remained silent.

"What are you going to do the rest of the day?" Tierna asked Teela.

"The king wants Adam and I to stay close to each other and we are probably going to have a special guard until after the wedding," Teela told her. "What are you two doing today?"

"We have to help finish preparing everything for the wedding tomorrow and the celebration afterwards," Laraina told her. "Since we're nearly ready, the queen said that she has a special surprise for those of us in the wedding party later." She moved to hug Teela before she curtsied to Prince Adam. "We'd best be on our way; we don't want to keep the queen waiting."

Adam nodded as Tierna copied her cousin's actions and then the girls left them alone.

"What would you like to do?" Adam asked Teela once they were gone.

Teela shrugged. "I don't know."

Adam took her hand and led her to the sofa in the sitting room. "Are you nervous about tomorrow?" he asked.

Teela shrugged again. "Not so much about the ceremony part, though the idea of standing up in front of all those people is a little unnerving, but I'm more nervous about what it will mean to actually be married. I know we'll have to make a lot of public appearances and go on diplomatic missions as representatives of Eternia. Your parents have both made that much very clear."

Adam nodded and sighed. "Yeah, I know. My father has already told me that when our wedding month is over we're going to be visiting Avion and then Andreenos."

Teela sighed softly and then nodded. "The thing I'm most worried about~" she stopped and shrugged before looking down at her tightly clasped hands.

Adam placed one of his large hands over hers and ducked his head to make eye contact. "What is it?" he asked quietly. "You can tell me."

"How soon are we going to be expected to produce an heir to the throne?" she asked softly and turning slightly pink.

"You do know that's the whole point of the wedding month?" Adam asked her gently. "We have no duties other than to spend time together and," he paused and swallowed as he blushed slightly himself, "work on producing an heir."

"I know that most girls my age have already been married for a couple of years and have at least one child, but I don't know that I'm ready to be a mother yet," she said. "The very idea of it terrifies me."

"We won't do anything until you're ready," Adam assured her. "I'll wait as long as it takes for you to be ready."

"That would probably make your father angry," Teela told him.

"My father doesn't need to know," Adam replied. "What happens~ or doesn't happen~ between us is no one's business but our own."

Teela blinked at this and then nodded her head. "So if we're not going to have an heir right away, we won't have to um…" she blushed again and bit her lip, "you know… isn't the only reason people do that, other than on their wedding night, is to make a baby?"

Adam blinked. The book Darius had given him didn't say anything about that. "I, uh, don't know, actually. But like I said, we won't do anything you don't want to Teela; I won't force myself on you."

Teela gave a small smile and nodded.

"Tell me what happened at Snake Mountain this morning," Adam requested.

Teela sighed and then proceeded to tell him everything from how Beastman, Triclops and Evil-Lyn had taken her from her bed and threatened to kill her cousins if she fought them, to how her father and the Masters had returned her to the palace to find the king readying the royal guard to go after her.

She grew quiet as she thought about the way He-Man had looked at her and how she had heard Skeletor's words to He-Man~ saying that the hero was in love with her~ as Stratos and the others had kept her hidden so they could sneak out as soon as it was safe. She wondered at the fact that the hero didn't deny the accusation.

"Teela," Adam said as he wondered what she was thinking about.

Teela mentally shook it off and looked at him. "It's nothing," she told him.

He didn't believe her, but he didn't push.

They sat in silence for a little while and then played a game for a bit before Queen Marlena came in with servants who brought lunch for all of them.

"After lunch we're going to be going to the royal hot springs together. You're both going to be getting a massage, followed by warm mud baths and then a good long soak in the hot springs before your facials. Afterward you'll both have dinner and be sent to bed to get some sleep before tomorrow morning; we're starting bright and early with preparations for the ceremony."

Adam groaned. "Mother!" he exclaimed. "That's all stuff for girls!"

Teela glared at him, but before she could reply his mother spoke.

"Well, I'll be sure to let your father, Man-at-Arms, Mekaneck and Ram-Man know you feel that way," she said. "They'll be joining us."

Adam sighed and nodded in resignation.

True to her word, as soon as lunch was finished and the servants had cleared away the remains, the queen led them to the royal hot springs.

Adam was taken to join his father and the other men while Teela and Queen Marlena were taken to join Tierna and Laraina.

"Your Majesty, we just can't thank you enough for this," Tierna said as she and Laraina curtsied to the queen.

"Nonsense," Marlena said, waving off their thanks. "It's the very least I can do in return for all of the help you two have given me in preparing this wedding."

After massages and warm mud baths, the women were escorted to the hot springs where they were left alone to soak as long as they liked. Queen Marlena and Tierna were ready to get out and go have their facials after thirty minutes, but Laraina and Teela remained in the hot springs for a bit longer.

"So… do you really want to marry Prince Adam or are you being forced into it to save his life?" Laraina finally asked her cousin quietly.

"Laraina, it's my duty to protect the royal family; especially Prince Adam since I've been his bodyguard for the last five years," Teela told her.

"So you are being forced into it," Laraina nodded.

"I am not," Teela protested. "Adam said that if I didn't want to marry him he would refuse to marry me and take the blame, and his father's anger, upon himself. I wouldn't be doing it if I didn't want to."

"Are you in love with him?" her cousin asked.

"I~ I don't know," Teela said slowly. "I mean, I do love him; he's my oldest and best friend after all, but I'm not sure if it's the married for the rest of our lives kind of love."

"Isn't that something you should know before you marry him?" Laraina asked with wide eyes.

"No," Teela replied decisively with a shake of her head. "Even if it's not that now, I'm sure it will eventually develop into that kind of love. I'm pretty sure he loves me; for now, that's good enough."

Her cousin didn't look convinced.

"Rain, please just drop it, okay? I have enough to think about with the wedding tomorrow and I don't want anyone to know what we talked about. Please?" Teela asked.

Laraina sighed and nodded her agreement. "Okay. But you know you can talk to me anytime you need to, right?"

"I know," Teela said with a small smile. "Thank you."

Laraina nodded and they climbed out of the hot springs to go get their facials done.

When everyone had been appropriately pampered, they all gathered in the great hall for the wedding rehearsal before heading to a banquet room for a delicious dinner.

As the dinner festivities wrapped up and Adam and Teela were to be led to the rooms they would be sleeping in that night, Queen Marlena hugged them both and kissed their cheeks. "Just think, tomorrow at this time you'll be in your wedding suite as husband and wife."

Adam and Teela smiled nervously at one another before they were led out of the banquet room.

They had been placed in rooms with tiny windows and had guards stationed both outside of their rooms and inside as well.

Teela thought it was rather awkward to have women she had recently commanded suddenly standing guard over her while she slept, but sleep proved to be elusive and she tossed and turned for several hours as she thought about her confused feelings for He-Man and Adam. She knew she loved Adam, but was it the married forever kind of love a wife should have for her husband? Even if it wasn't, she couldn't back out now. Adam would die in less than thirty-six hours if she did and she just couldn't bear the thought of that happening.

Her uncertain feelings for He-Man still troubled her. She had meant it before when she'd told Adam that she didn't think she was in love with Eternia's champion, but could the lustful crush she had on him turn into love someday if time and circumstances allowed it?

Teela sighed as she turned over once more; it didn't matter anyway. In less than twelve hours she would become the princess of Eternia and Prince Adam's wife and the point would be moot. She would not betray her marriage vows for any reason. 'I just hope I can convince my heart of that,' she thought just before she finally fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.


	10. Royal Wedding

**Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I appreciate each and every one! I know you all are anxious for Teela to find out Adam's secret, but there's a reason for her not knowing. I will say that if she finds out at all, it's quite a ways off! I wanted to explore the idea of how Adam and Teela might actually get together on their own without the knowledge that Adam is He-Man influencing Teela. ;-) Enjoy!**

The next morning, Teela was awakened by a maid bringing her breakfast to her in bed.

"Good morning Lady Teela," the maid said as she set the tray across Teela's lap after she had sat up and gotten comfortable. "The queen said that you were to receive your breakfast in bed and then someone would be along to take you to begin preparation for the wedding in about half an hour."

Teela smiled tightly and nodded. "Thanks Marsl," she said softly.

"You're welcome," Marsl said with a smile and a curtsey.

Teela picked at her breakfast and barely ate anything until Inya arrived. The matronly woman tsked at her and forced her to actually eat something before she ushered her out of bed and into the bath.

When she emerged from the bath, Inya rubbed her down with scented oil and then washed her hands before she started fixing Teela's hair.

Two hours later, Inya declared that her hair was 'perfect' and she sent for the woman who would do Teela's makeup.

Teela scrunched her face in distaste. "I don't wear makeup," she said plaintively.

"You do from now on," Inya informed her. "You're to be the Princess of Eternia and you must look the part."

Teela let out a breath but didn't comment.

The woman who was to do her makeup arrived and was introduced as Daima before she set to work. Fortunately she didn't take very long and shortly after she left the seamstress, Xenia, arrived to help Teela get into her wedding dress.

Teela thought it was going to take forever to get out of all of the undergarments and the dress when she was ready to go to sleep that night, but then she blushed to the roots of her hair when she thought about what was supposed to take place between her and Adam that night.

Xenia and Inya exchanged knowing looks when they saw Teela's blush and they smiled.

Meanwhile, Prince Adam was also roused by a servant who served him his breakfast in bed. After taking his time and eating every bite, a valet instructed him to go and bathe.

Adam took a long hot soak in the bath tub, only getting out when Armand, the valet, fussed that his skin would be all wrinkly if he remained a moment longer. He toweled himself dry and then allowed himself to be rubbed down with scented oil before he was wrapped in a bathrobe and his hair was thoroughly combed.

He was then left alone for several hours to read before the tailor arrived to help him into his wedding garments. As soon as he was dressed, Armand came and re-combed his hair before placing the crown of the Crown Prince upon his head.

"It's nearly time to begin the ceremony," Armand informed him. "Your parents are waiting for you in the great hall."

Adam thanked Armand and the tailor before stepping out of his room and immediately being surrounded by royal guards who led him directly to the great hall. He had asked the Sorceress to make his sword and sheath invisible to others today so that he could wear them with his wedding garments without anyone asking questions and he was glad that she was able to do so. He decided he was going to see if it would be too difficult for her to make it invisible all of the time.

As soon as Teela was ready Inya escorted her into the hallway where she was immediately surrounded by royal guards.

"They will take you to the great hall for the ceremony," Inya informed her with a smile.

"Thank you," Teela said with a nod and a small smile. Taking a deep breath, she allowed herself to be led through the palace.

When she arrived at the double doors to the great hall Teela found her father was standing there waiting for her, dressed in the finest garments she had ever seen him wear.

Man-at-Arms' eyes misted over when he saw how beautiful his daughter looked and he leaned forward to kiss her cheek. "You look exquisite dear-heart," he said softly. "Adam is a very lucky young man."

Teela smiled at her father and accepted the arm he held out for her.

Man-at-Arms nodded to the royal guard and they opened the double doors for them. Seconds after the doors opened beautiful music began to play and Man-at-Arms led Teela down the long aisle surrounded on either side by guests from around the kingdom.

Teela kept her head up and her eyes firmly fixed straight ahead as they made their way down the aisle towards the king and queen. She finally saw Adam turn to face her and she couldn't help but return the radiant smile he gave her.

Adam turned around and caught sight of his bride and he broke into a beaming smile as he saw how amazingly beautiful she was. When they finally reached the front of the hall, he held his arm out to her and nodded once to Man-at-Arms as he placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.

"Duncan of Equestria, as Teela's father do you consent to this marriage between your daughter and Prince Adam?" King Randor asked.

"I do," Man-at-Arms replied with a nod.

"Prince Adam, do you promise to love, honor, cherish and protect Lady Teela and remain faithful to her until death takes you from this life?" he asked.

"I do," Adam said as he looked Teela in the eye.

"Lady Teela, do you promise to love, honor and obey Prince Adam as your husband and future king and remain faithful to him until death takes you from this life?" the king asked her.

"I do," Teela said as she looked at Adam and then the king.

"Prince Adam and Lady Teela please step forward and light the candle of unison as a symbol of your two lives merging into one," King Randor instructed.

Adam and Teela moved to the large silver stand that held three candles. The two smaller candles were representative of their separate lives and the larger, unlit candle represented the life that they would share as one as husband and wife. They used the smaller candles to light the larger one together before blowing out the smaller ones and placing them back where they had gotten them from, and then they went back to stand before King Randor.

A young woman stepped forward and sang a beautiful song about marriage and unity which was an Eternian tradition.

"Wedding rings will be exchanged by Prince Adam and Lady Teela as a symbol to all that they are spoken for and no longer available for courting," he announced and nodded to Mekaneck who was holding the simple gold bands on a silken pillow.

Adam placed the smaller ring on Teela's finger and then she placed the other on his.

"As high king of Eternia I accept this union and I accept Lady Teela as the future Queen of all Eternia," King Randor said as he turned and lifted a delicate golden crown from another pillow held by Laraina. He placed the crown on Teela's head and then nodded for them to turn to face the crowd. "I present to you Prince Adam and Princess Teela; your future king and queen."

Cheers and applause erupted throughout the great hall and Adam and Teela stood and smiled at everyone before Adam held his arm out for Teela to take once more. When she did he led her down the aisle towards the double doors Teela had entered the hall through with her father. They then made their way to the ballroom where the celebration would commence.

Adam held Teela's chair for her once his parents had been seated at the head table and then he took his own seat beside her. He smiled at Duncan who was sitting on the other side of his daughter.

The meal was served and the festivities began and Teela and Adam graciously accepted the congratulations of those who approached the table to speak with them.

A little over an hour into the celebration Man-at-Arms made eye contact with Adam and subtly tilted his head towards the exit.

Adam gave a short nod and finished his glass of wine before he stood and kissed Teela's hand. "I need to go and use the lavatory," he said quietly to her. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He informed his father of where he was going and then he left the ballroom to find a secluded place to transform.

He found an empty room nearby and raised his sword in the air saying, "By the power of Grayskull!" There was a cacophony of lights and electricity and a moment later He-Man stood where Adam had been. "I have the Power!" he said with a mighty shout. Re-sheathing his sword he peered out the door to be sure the coast was clear before he made his way to the ballroom.

When he stepped into the ballroom there was an excited murmur and he could hear the exclamations of those gathered.

"He-Man's here," he heard the enthusiastic hum run through the crowd.

Making his way to the head table where the king and queen were seated with Teela and Man-at-Arms, he bowed and smiled at them. "Your Majesties, I've come to offer my congratulations to the happy couple."

"Thank you He-Man," King Randor said and then frowned slightly. "I'm afraid Prince Adam just stepped out for a few minutes."

"I know… I saw him when I was coming in," he said with a nod. "I already congratulated him and told him how happy I am for him. I wanted to see Princess Teela and congratulate her as well."

"By all means He-Man," King Randor said with a nod.

He-Man moved to where Teela was and nodded to her. "Princess," he said with a smile. "Congratulations on your marriage. I wish both you and Prince Adam a long and happy life together."

"Thank you," Teela said as she looked up into his eyes.

"I understand that Prince Adam was going to die if the two of you didn't get married today," he said softly. "I'm glad that you agreed to marry him; you must love him very much."

Teela shrugged. "Well, you know as his bodyguard it is my job to protect him as the only heir to the throne," she said, "even if it means I have to marry him to do it. Duty first, right?" She looked down at her hands and then back up at the hero with a pleading look.

He-Man gave her a tight smile and nodded once as his heart constricted in his chest at her words. He had thought he'd actually succeeded in making her fall in love with him as Adam. "Right… duty first." He cleared his throat and stood up straighter, speaking so that he could be heard by the others at the table. "I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to Princess; I just wanted to offer you and Prince Adam my congratulations and my support, but I really must be going."

"Thank you He-Man," Teela said even as she wondered at the suddenly stiff manner the hero was displaying.

"Your Majesty," he said to the king with a slight bow, "with your permission I must be on my way. As much as I would like to stay to celebrate with everyone, I'm afraid I cannot."

"Of course He-Man," King Randor said. "Thank you again for coming; your support means a great deal to us all."

He-Man nodded and then quickly left the ballroom, nodding to those that said farewell to him on his way out. He made his way back to the room he had transformed in and reverted back to Adam before putting his sword away and sighing sadly.

Teela had only married him out of a sense of duty; she didn't love him. He only hoped that one day in the future that would change. Sighing once more, he made his way back to the ballroom and took his seat beside his bride.

"He-Man was just here son," King Randor told him. "You just missed him."

"I saw him outside Father," Adam replied. "He told me that he was very happy for us."

King Randor smiled and nodded before turning his attention back to the festivities.

Prince Adam swallowed the hurt he felt over Teela's revelation to He-Man and turned his attention back to the guests attending the wedding celebration.

The party kept going until it was very late and finally the queen suggested to Adam that it was time for he and his new bride to make their way to their suite for the night.

Adam nodded his agreement when he saw Teela yawn for the third time in less than five minutes and he stood and held his arm out for her. "I believe it's time for us to call it a night," he said tilting his head towards the door.

Teela looked up at him with wide eyes and then accepted his arm before she stood and walked with him through the throng of well-wishers that had formed up on either side of them, leaving a path for them to walk towards the door, and were clapping and cheering for them.

As soon as they reached the doors of the ballroom a group of royal guardsmen surrounded them as they made their way through the halls of the palace to the royal suite. Once at the suite two guards stationed themselves on either side of the door and saluted them as Adam opened the door and allowed Teela to step into their home first. He nodded to the guardsmen and thanked them before he also entered the suite and closed the door.


	11. Miscommunication

**Thanks again for all of the great reviews! You are all awesome! I posted another chapter earlier in the day, so don't miss it! Enjoy!**

Adam and Teela moved through their suite and into the master bedroom where Adam closed the door and then turned to look at his bride.

"Why don't you go ahead and use the lavatory to prepare for bed first?" Adam suggested.

Teela gave him a nervous smile and nodded before she gathered the items she would need and stepped into the lavatory. She shed her wedding gown and all the undergarments and wrapped her robe around her before she washed all of the makeup off of her face, brushed out her hair and brushed her teeth. When she was finished she removed the robe and put on the dark green silk negligee she had gotten from her cousin Zaina a few nights earlier. Putting her robe back on she took a deep breath to try to steady her nerves and then opened the door to the lavatory and shut off the light before stepping back into the master bedroom.

Adam was already lying in the bed with his back turned towards her side of the bed and his bedside light turned off.

Teela frowned in confusion as she walked over to the bed and removed her robe, laying it across the chest at the end of the bed before she looked at her groom. "Adam?" she called softly.

"Hmm?" he murmured.

"Is everything all right?" she asked uncertainly.

"Fine," he said through a yawn. "It's late and we both had a long day and are very tired. I'll see you in the morning."

Teela bit her bottom lip, unsure of what to say. "Adam... aren't we supposed to, um," she swallowed nervously before continuing, "consummate the marriage?"

Adam closed his eyes a moment before replying. "We've both had a very long day and are tired, Teela. I don't think either of us are at our best right now, so it would be better if we waited."

Even though she knew he was right, she couldn't help but feel as if there were more to his refusal than he was telling her. Swallowing the lump that formed in her throat at the thought, she climbed into the bed beside him and pulled the bedding over her before she reached to turn off her own bedside lamp. Turning on her side to face away from him, she stared out the window where she could see the full moons shining in.

"Good night Adam," she murmured softly.

"Good night Teela," Adam replied.

Neither of them fell asleep for a very long time, but they didn't move or make a sound, either.

Teela had come to realize that while she was just a bit apprehensive about what would happen on their wedding night, she had also reached a point where she was anticipating it with just a bit of nervous excitement. To be let down in such a way hurt her deeply, yet she also knew that Adam was right; they had both had a very long day and were very tired.

Thinking that maybe they could make up for it in the morning, she smiled softly before finally allowing herself to drift to sleep.

Adam lay quietly with a deep scowl on his face. Over the years since he had become He-Man, he had learned to live with Teela's lectures and her obvious disdain towards him. She had humiliated him, berated him and treated him like a wayward child and he had shrugged it off and flat out ignored it because he knew that in order to maintain his secret identity he couldn't allow anyone to see the real Prince Adam. Her beauty and fiery spirit were all part of the reasons he had fallen in love with her in the first place.

But hearing her tell him, as He-Man, that she had only married him because she felt it was her duty as his bodyguard~ even though that was no longer her duty, he groused silently~ had hurt him in ways that he wouldn't have thought it would. He had spent the last month courting her and doing everything he possibly could to try and make her fall in love with him and now he knew that it had all been for nothing.

Well, if she didn't love him, he decided, he would not inflict himself upon her. Their marriage would remain unconsummated and the throne of Eternia would continue to have only a single heir. He knew that at some point his father would begin to question why they hadn't produced an heir to the throne, but he hoped that day would be at least a year away.

He wished he could call Cringer to come sleep beside him as he usually did when he was hurting, but that was out of the question. Poor Cringer had been relegated to a large cushion near the fireplace in the sitting room of their suite.

Blinking away the sting of tears yet again Adam finally closed his eyes and made an effort to quiet his mind so that he could go to sleep.

He slept fitfully, his dreams disturbed by distressing images and a sense of foreboding. He woke before dawn and tried to banish the sense of dread he felt deep down inside. Silently slipping from the bed he made his way to the lavatory and showered, shaved and dressed for the day ahead. He went out into the sitting room so that he wouldn't disturb Teela, who was still sound asleep, and smiled at Cringer when the great cat lifted his head and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Heya Cringe," he smiled as he knelt down and scratched the tiger behind the ears. "It's still a little early for the kitchen staff to be up and about, but we can go outside for a walk if you'd like."

Cringer nodded his head once and purred as his friend continued to scratch him behind the ears.

Adam grinned and chuckled slightly. "Come on, we'll go outside for a bit before everyone else wakes up." He led his partner to the door of the suite and opened it before he blinked at the guards stationed there.

"Good morning your highness," Elgar, the leader of the guards outside their suite, said. "Did you sleep well?"

Adam gave him a tight smile. "Yes, thank you," he replied. "Cringer and I are going to take a walk; we'll be back before breakfast is served."

"Highness, I must insist that you take a guard with you," Elgar said as he inclined his head towards the prince. "It is not yet after sunrise and your life could still be in danger."

Adam frowned slightly. "I doubt it; Teela and I are married now. The Sorceress said that we had to be married before sunrise and we accomplished that." Elgar still looked distressed, so Adam relented. "Okay, I'll take one guard with me"

Elgar motioned for one of his fellow guardsmen to follow the prince and Adam nodded to them both before he and Cringer made their way down the hall to the staircase that would take them out into the private gardens that belonged to the royal family.

Adam walked slowly around the garden, lost in thought. Cringer had started out walking sedately beside him, but as the morning grew steadily lighter he began to chase various insects and birds that flitted around the gardens. A voice startled him from his thoughts and he turned his attention to the owner of the voice.

"Adam," King Randor said in surprise as he moved closer to his son. "How was your night, Son?" he asked with a small grin.

Adam blushed in embarrassment. Even though nothing had happened between him and Teela the night before, he knew everyone was thinking that it did and it was a bit unsettling. "Uh... fine, Father," he replied.

"What brings you out here so early in the morning?" his father asked.

"Just needed to get some air," Adam shrugged. "Teela's still sleeping and I didn't want to wake her."

His father gave a short nod.

"I need to head back inside," Adam told his father. "I promised Elgar that I would be back before breakfast."

The king nodded his consent and Adam left the gardens and headed back to the suite he now shared with Teela. His wife. He only wished that the thought brought him a feeling of joy instead of feelings of guilt and trepidation. She had given up her life and any chance of finding a husband that she could love in order to save his life. He should have refused to marry her and just let whatever happened, happen. He was He-Man after all; he could protect himself. Why couldn't the Sorceress have said he had to turn into He-Man until after the sunrise?

As he approached the doors to his suite, he saw that there was quite a commotion going on and he quickened his pace to find out what was happening.

"Your highness," Elgar said with a bow as he approached.

"What's happening Elgar?" Adam asked the guardsman.

"An intruder entered the royal bedchamber through the window and Princess Teela surprised him when she came out of the lavatory. Fortunately, she was able to disarm him and knock him unconscious before she ran out of the room calling for you... we heard her calling for you and I entered the sitting room to let her know that you had gone for a walk this morning and she told me that there was an unconscious man in your bedchamber. We've taken him into custody and we are taking him to the palace prison where he'll be interrogated."

"Is Teela all right?" Adam asked in concern. "She's not hurt?"

"No your highness," Elgar answered. "Man-at-Arms is in with her right now; he is making sure that the prisoner is secure before we take him to the prison."

Adam nodded and then hurried into the suite, moving out of the way long enough for the guardsmen escorting the prisoner to pass by.

The man that was now bound glared at the prince as he passed him. "You're supposed to be dead... I was supposed to kill you before you woke up this morning."

Adam blanched at that and then frowned. "Who are you?"

The man smiled ferally at him and chuckled lightly. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

The guardsmen pushed him forward and out the door of the suite as Adam shook his head and hurried into the bedchamber.

"Teela," he exclaimed as he moved to where his wife was sitting in one of the wing-backed chairs near the fireplace. "Are you all right?" he asked as he knelt in front of her and took her hands.

"Where were you this morning?" she asked him sharply. "We were supposed to~" she broke off as she glanced at her father and swallowed.

Adam blinked and let go of her hands. "I woke up very early and decided to take a walk in the gardens with Cringer so that I wouldn't wake you. I'm sorry I left you here without telling you where I was going."

Teela saw her father raise an eyebrow at her and she sighed. "If you hadn't we'd probably both be dead by now," she said softly. "When I woke up and you weren't here, I went to the lavatory before I was going to go out into the sitting room to look for you. When I came out of the lavatory there was a man with a knife moving towards the bed; it was obvious he had come in through the window. I managed to sneak up on him and kicked the knife out of his hand before I knocked him out."

"You're sure you're not hurt?" he asked her again, taking her hands and pushing the sleeves of her robe up to inspect her for damage.

"I'm fine," she assured him.

Satisfied that she really was okay, he let go of her and stood up to look at Man-at-Arms. "How did he get past the royal guards to be able to climb into the window?"

"I plan to investigate and find out the answer to that myself," Duncan assured him. "The guardsmen were all informed that we are on a high-level security alert."

Adam nodded and then looked at his mentor. "Well, the sun is up now, so I guess that means that the threat to my life is over and you can lower the alert. Do you think this is the threat the Sorceress was talking about?"

"I suppose it's possible," Duncan nodded thoughtfully. "If you had been married to a courtier or a princess she would not have had the training to protect herself and disarm the intruder and would most likely have been killed."

Adam thought about how if he had married a courtier or a princess he probably wouldn't have been up so early and in need of a walk to clear his head. He also thought that if he'd just gone to bed as He-Man, he would have been perfectly safe, too. He nodded to his mentor and then looked up when his parents entered the room.

"We just heard what happened," Queen Marlena said as she rushed towards them. "Are you all right Teela?"

"Yes ma'am, I'm fine," Teela replied. She accepted the hug the queen gave her.

"I've already told Prince Adam that I will be investigating how it was possible for the intruder to enter the royal bedchamber through the window without being seen by any of our guards," Man-at-Arms informed the king.

"Thank you my friend," the king said with a nod.

"Now that we've all seen that everyone is all right, I think we should leave the newlyweds alone," Duncan suggested.

"Yes Duncan," King Randor said, "you're quite right. Come my dear, let's go have breakfast, shall we?"

They said their goodbyes and then left the suite and Adam began to move towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Teela asked him in confusion.

"Breakfast will be here soon and you need to get dressed for the day before the housekeeping staff arrives," Adam told her. "We're supposed to be leaving for our wedding trip in a couple of hours."

Teela nodded and watched as he left the room. With a sigh, she stood up and made her way back into the lavatory to bathe and get ready for their trip.


	12. Suspicion

**Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of the great reviews! I am loving reading all of your comments and insights! This is the third chapter in a two day period so make sure you haven't missed anything! Enjoy!**

Teela sighed as she blew her hair from her face and picked up a handful of sand to sift through her fingers. She and Adam had been on their wedding trip for over two weeks now at the family's seaside home and they still had not consummated the marriage.

Every night Adam either went to bed and was asleep before her, claimed to be too tired or he just wasn't there. She had no idea where he kept disappearing to, but he would vanish at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes he'd be gone for a short time and others he'd be gone for several hours.

She was bored and she was lonely and she hated it.

Catching movement out of the corner of her eye she turned and saw Adam entering the house and she got up to go see where he had been all day. He had disappeared just after breakfast and it was nearly sunset.

She went into the master bedroom just in time to see the door to the lavatory close. She heard the water to the shower turn on, so she took a seat on the bed to wait for Adam to come out.

That was the other odd thing, she realized. Every time he went out, he always showered as soon as he returned. No matter what time of the day or night it was. Why would he do that, she wondered.

Twenty minutes passed before Adam finally emerged from the lavatory with a towel wrapped around his waist and his hair dripping. He blinked in surprise when he saw her sitting there on the bed.

"Where have you been all day?" Teela asked.

Adam sighed internally before he replied, "Just out; hiking and exploring." He hated lying to her.

"You should have asked me to come along," she told him. "I'm bored out of my mind sitting around this house or out on the beach all day."

"You don't have to stay here Teela," Adam told her. "You're free to do whatever you like."

Teela frowned. "This is our wedding trip, Adam; we're supposed to be spending time together."

"You're not my bodyguard anymore and my life is no longer in danger," he said as he grabbed the clothing he'd need to get dressed. "I'm sure you can find something to do to entertain yourself."

Teela blinked as he went back into the lavatory and closed the door. That hadn't gone at all the way she had hoped it would. She had thought during the month before their wedding when Adam was courting her that he had feelings for her... that he might even love her. But since their wedding he had been distant and she had no idea what that meant.

Could it be he'd only been nice to her in order to keep her from changing her mind about marrying him so that he wouldn't die? She didn't think that Adam was that kind of person, but she was beginning to wonder. Did it have something to do with the secret he'd told her he had but couldn't tell her?

Adam reemerged from the lavatory completely dressed and he raised an eyebrow at her. "You're still here?"

"Where else would I be?" she asked impatiently. "I don't know anyone around here and I'm not about to go traipsing about when it's nearly dark. Besides, it's almost dinner time."

As if on cue, Amalie, the maid who cared for the family's vacation home and cooked for them when they were there, knocked on the door.

"Your highness'," she called softly, "dinner is ready whenever you are."

"We'll be right there, Amalie, thank you," Adam called before he looked at Teela. "Are you ready to go eat now?"  
Teela nodded and stood up before preceding Adam out the door into the dining room where Amalie immediately set about serving them once they were seated.

Neither of them spoke throughout the meal and when they were finished, Adam went to the sitting room to read while Teela went to the bedchamber to prepare for bed. She wasn't tired, but she thought that maybe if she wore something from the trousseau her cousins and friends had provided her before the wedding she might grab his attention when he finally came to bed.

Just over an hour later, Adam entered the bedchamber and went straight to the lavatory to change into his night clothes. When he came out wearing his robe he moved to their bed and his eyebrows rose in surprise.

Teela was reclined on her side of the bed wearing a very alluring negligee and a small smile.

"It's about time you decided to join me," she said softly.

Adam swallowed nervously as he looked at her. Could it be she really wanted to couple with him? He gave her a small smile and removed his robe before hanging it on the hook near the bed. "I didn't realize you were waiting for me," he replied as he sat on his side of the bed and propped himself up against the headboard.

"I've been waiting for you every night since our wedding night," Teela said softly as she turned onto her side so that she was facing him. "You know as well as I do that it's our duty to consummate the marriage and eventually produce an heir to the throne."

Adam's heart clenched and his jaw hardened at her words. Duty. She didn't want him; it was all about doing her _duty_. He was just about to tell her that he was too tired when the Sorceress' voice called to him in his mind. Of course.

He climbed out of bed and hurried to the lavatory where he dressed quickly, ignoring Teela's voice calling him, and putting his sword on his back before he rushed out of the room.

"Adam," Teela exclaimed, "where are you going?"

"I have to... I need to go somewhere," he said. "Just... I'll see you when I get back."

Teela watched, completely stunned, as he hurried out of the room and closed the door behind him. After a moment she became furious with him. He left! No explanation; nothing. He left her again!

Teela got dressed and then she began to pack her belongings. When she was finished, she left the house and went to where the windraider had been parked since they had arrived two weeks earlier. She blinked when she realized it was gone and her anger went up a notch.

Not only had he left her again, but he had left her stranded here!

Deciding that her new husband was going to be in a heap of trouble when he finally returned, she stormed back into the house and threw her bags on the floor by the window in their bedchamber before she took off her shoes and climbed into bed, still fully clothed. She pulled the blankets up around her chin and turned on her side, with her back to the side Adam slept on, and closed her eyes.

She thought of all the reasons why he could have just left the way he did and how it was so odd that the first thing he did whenever he returned from wherever it was that he went was to shower. Why would he do that?

Her eyes snapped open as the only reason she could think of finally came to her. He was having an affair. That had to be the explanation. But that didn't seem like the Adam she had grown up with. The Adam she had been courted by the month before their wedding. The Adam she... loved. He wouldn't betray their marriage vows like that. Would he? And what about him telling her he was a virgin? Had he lied to her or was he a virgin and then he had found someone before the wedding? She had noticed that he often disappeared in the weeks prior to the wedding but had thought it was because he was doing something for either his mother or his father.

What if he'd been seeing someone else the whole time?

She had to know the truth. When he returned she would ask him.

No longer able to fight the hurt she felt or hold back the tears, Teela buried her face in her pillow and sobbed.

He-Man hefted another boulder out of the way and then moved aside some smaller rocks with a swipe of one large hand before he called into the cave. "Erika? Emerson? Can you hear me? Are you hurt?"

He heard the distinctive sniffle and cry of a child and he immediately made the hole big enough for him to crawl through, warning the terrified villagers to stay back in case another quake should cause the rocks to shift and seal the mouth of the cave yet again.

"Erika? Emerson?" he called out again. "My name is He-Man and I'm here to help you."

"He-He-Man?" a young girl's voice stammered. "Are you really He-Man?"

He smiled as he switched on the electric lantern at his belt. "Yes, I'm really He-Man. It's okay; you're safe now, but I need to get you out of here quickly. Are you hurt? Where are you?" His eyes were adjusting from the darkness to the sudden light, making it difficult for him to see into the cave.

He felt a small hand touch his thigh and he looked down on the two terrified children that had been trapped in the cave when a quake had caused a rock slide to seal it.

Kneeling down so he could be closer to their level, he placed a large palm on the boy's head and visually assessed their condition. They appeared to be unharmed, but they were terrified.

"Are either of you hurt?" he asked gently.

"No," the little girl replied. "But it got really dark and we were really scared."

"I bet you were," he said. "Will you let me carry you?" he asked.

They glanced at each other before they looked up at him and nodded their heads. Taking one small child in each of his enormous arms, He-Man lifted them with him as he stood and smiled at them.

"Don't worry, I'll have you back with your mom and dad really soon," he promised.

Moving quickly, he reached the mouth of the cave and set the children on their feet.

"I"m going to put you through the hole and I want you to run away from the cave to your family as soon as you're out, okay? If there's another tremor I don't want you to be hurt by any falling rocks. Can you do that for me?" he asked.

"Yes sir," they both replied.

"Good," he smiled. He lifted Erika through first and then Emerson before he quickly followed them. When he got to where the villagers were gathered, he smiled at the sight of Erika and Emerson being hugged tightly by their parents.

"He-Man, we can't ever thank you enough for saving our babies," the mother, Emmaline, said to him.

"No thanks are necessary ma'am," He-Man replied. "Now I know that rescuing the children was our first priority, but what else can I do to help? I know the quake has probably done more damage."

It was only three hours before dawn when Prince Adam finally landed the windraider beside the family vacation home. He had stopped halfway back to the seashore to transform back into Adam.

Slipping inside the master bedroom silently, he went to the lavatory and showered before donning his bedclothes and slipping silently into his side of the bed. Teela's voice startled him.

"Who is she?" she asked quietly.

"What?" Adam asked in confusion with a frown.

"Who is she? That's where you go isn't it? You're seeing someone else... that's why you shower as soon as you return and you won't tell me where you go." Her voice was quiet; resigned.

Adam's first reaction was to proclaim his innocence and deny her allegations, but his second reaction was anger. Did she really think so little of him? Really believe that he could~ _would_~ betray his marriage vows like that?

Finally he settled on indifference. Why bother denying it when he couldn't tell her the truth to prove it? She wouldn't believe him anyway, so he may as well let her think what she wanted.

"Does it really matter?" he asked quietly, his tone cold.

Teela swallowed back the tears that wanted to fall once again. "No; not really," she said just as softly. "I suppose you'll want to annul the marriage?"

Adam bit his top lip as he quelled the pain in his heart. "Is that what you want? If we annul the marriage my father will make you leave Eternos for good. I won't ask that of you after you've already given up so much for me."

A stray tear leaked from Teela's eye. "You would stay married to me just to keep me from being banished from the palace and Eternos?"

"Yes," Adam replied. He left the words 'I love you' unspoken. Swallowing his pride and his pain, Adam spoke again. "Teela, I don't want you to be miserable. If you want to find... someone... I won't say anything as long as the two of you can be... discreet."

Teela's eyes widened and she tamped down the feelings of hurt and anger and bit her lip again. She would never betray her marriage vows. Never. Even if they didn't mean anything to him, they did to her. "Good night Adam," she said so softly he almost didn't hear her.

"Good night Teela," he said as he forced back the tears and the ache in his heart.

After a few minutes of silence Teela spoke again. "Adam? Can we return to Eternos tomorrow?"

Adam frowned. "What will we tell everyone? We're supposed to be gone for a whole month."

Teela again bit her lip and blinked back tears. She hated it here and she really wanted to see her father. "Never mind," she sighed. "Your father would probably be upset if we returned early."

"I'm sorry Teela," Adam replied.

Teela shrugged a slender shoulder even though he wasn't looking at her, but she didn't reply.

Adam had felt the movement and he knew her well enough to know what her response had been.

The silence stretched on as they both lay there in the dark, both wishing that the other loved them as much as they did them and neither knowing that they both wanted the same thing.


	13. Homecoming

**Thanks again for all of the awesome reviews! After reading some of your reviews and considering it, I agree that it was out of character for Adam to tell Teela that it was okay for her to find someone else, but for the purpose of this story I needed him to give her an 'out' so to speak and I will not be going back to change it. I hope that you will overlook that and stick with me anyway. :-) I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter.**

The next morning at breakfast, after Amalie had disappeared back into the kitchen, Adam looked at Teela and sighed. She had gotten up before him this morning and she hadn't looked at or spoken to him since they entered the dining room.

"Teela, I know you're angry with me but we have to at least pretend to be a happy couple when others are around," he said softly. "If rumor gets out that we don't seem to be happily married it could cause some of the nobility to request an investigation into the validity of the marriage."

Teela frowned in confusion. "Why would that make a difference?"

"If it gets out that we've never consummated our marriage," he explained, "someone in the nobility could petition that we have the marriage annulled and that my father choose a bride he feels is suitable for me. I'm not trying to threaten or bribe you~ the choice is always ultimately yours to make~ but if our marriage is annulled then you would be sent away. I couldn't bear for that to happen, especially after all that you have sacrificed for me."

Teela looked pensive for a moment before she nodded in understanding. "What about producing an heir to the throne?"

"Are you ready to have a child now?" he asked cautiously.

Teela's eyes widened and then she shook her head. "No; not yet."

Adam nodded. "I think we'll have some time before that becomes an issue," he assured her. "A year at most. We can discuss it more once it does and decide what we're going to do then."

Teela took a deep breath and nodded before she let it out on a sigh.

Amalie returned to check on them and to refill their glasses of juice.

"So, I understand my mother told you what your schedule will be like when we return; what are you going to be doing?" Adam asked Teela with a smile.

Teela's eyes flicked to the maid who was quietly stacking serving dishes on a tray and she smiled back. "Three mornings a week I'll be taking political history, hospitality and embroidery lessons from private tutors," she told him, rolling her eyes at the last. "The other three mornings of the week I'll be spending with your mother learning what it means to be the queen of Eternia and the duties required as such."

Despite the current difficulties between them, Adam couldn't help but grin at the thought of his mother teaching Teela to be the future queen. "What about your afternoons?"

"Every afternoon after lunch there is a rest period of an hour and then I will be joining your mother and several other ladies of the court for a fitness class. After that, three afternoons per week I will have charitable duties in the city of Eternos and the other three afternoons per week I will be spending with you."

"Me," Adam asked in surprise. "Did Mother say why?"

Teela glanced once more at the maid and looked at her plate before she blushed. "She said that we need to spend time together if we want to have a strong marriage and, besides, she wants a grandchild."

Adam blushed as well and then chuckled. "My mother is nothing if not direct."

Teela looked up at him and smiled slightly as she nodded. "The first day of the new week is a free day and I have no schedule." There was a sadness in her eyes that belied the smile she wore.

Adam assumed it was because she had given up so much to be married to him; her freedom, her career and her future chance at happiness. If only she saw him as more than an obligation... he hoped that some day she might come to love him, but he didn't think it likely. She believed he disappeared because he was having an affair and he couldn't tell her the truth so that she would understand why he really vanished.

"Why don't we spend the day in the village today?" he asked as his eyes again flicked to Amalie, who was now clearing away the empty dishes before them.

Teela understood the silent signal. "That sounds lovely," she replied.

Adam stood from the table and thanked Amalie for everything and then he and Teela silently left the room to go prepare for their trip into the village.

It didn't take long and soon they were walking towards the seaside village of Eldindale in a strained silence.

"We should buy some souvenirs and at least one gift for each of our parents," Adam told her to break the tension between them. "My mother said that we should also buy 'thank you' gifts for each of our witnesses."

"All right," Teela said softly.

They fell silent once again and Adam wished he knew what to say to ease the strain between them. When they were children they had been best friends and had never had trouble finding things to talk about. Once again he cursed the Elders for demanding that he keep his identity as He-Man a secret.

"I hope that Skeletor hasn't been causing too much trouble," Teela said quietly as she stared at the path straight ahead of them. "I know it's too much to hope for that he's been quiet the entire time we've been gone."

Adam grimaced as he, too, looked ahead; Skeletor had definitely not been quiet. Hence the reason Teela now believed he was having an affair. He scowled at the thought and decided Skeletor was going to get a sound thrashing the next time they met in battle.

"I'm pretty sure we can count on the fact that he's been up to his usual trouble making," he sighed.

Teela nodded her agreement as they approached the village and entered.

They made their way to the main square where the marketplace was and began browsing amongst the various vendors and shops that lined the street.

Teela chose a different necklace for each of her two cousins as thank you gifts for standing as her witnesses during the wedding.

Adam chose a new chronometer for Mekaneck and a fishing pole and reel set that was made of the sturdiest wood on Eternia for Ram-Man.

Teela found a book written by a well-known scientist that detailed some new theories on the scientific possibility of machines that could make teleportation commonplace for her father.

"Next thing you know he'll be building a machine to transport us anywhere on Eternia," Adam grinned when he saw the book.

Teela couldn't help but laugh at that. "I know," she replied. "Maybe I should rethink giving this to him!"

Adam winked at her and then sighed when she turned away from him with a small frown. "Help me find something for my parents, please?" he asked.

Teela nodded and they continued shopping, only speaking when necessary.

Teela was happy to be back home in Eternos and even happier to be returning to the palace. She knew that most days she would be too busy to really have time to contemplate the situation between Adam and herself and for that she was grateful. She had decided that she would do whatever she needed to do as the princess of Eternia to keep people from thinking that there was even a hint of a problem between her and Adam. Starting now, she thought as she saw the entourage that was gathered to greet them upon their return to the palace.

Adam set the windraider down and killed the engines before he climbed out and turned to help Teela out of the vehicle. He hid his surprise as she took his arm and kissed his cheek, thanking him with a smile as the group of people that had come to meet them approached.

"Prince Adam, Princess Teela we're happy that you're home," King Randor said. "How was your trip?"

"It was lovely, thank you, Your Majesty," Teela replied.

Queen Marlena hugged them both as she greeted them. "We missed you both," she said.

"Thank you Mother," Adam smiled at her as he watched servants unload their belongings from the back of the windraider.

Teela was looking around as if she were searching for someone and Adam realized Man-at-Arms was not with his parents.

"Where is Duncan?" he asked.

"The Sorceress of Grayskull summoned him and he went to speak with her," King Randor replied.

Teela's expression grew dark, but she quickly brushed it aside. "I suppose we'll see him at dinner."

Adam gave her a small smile and nodded in agreement.

Teela saw several members of the nobility lingering nearby and she steeled herself before cupping Adam's cheek in her hand and turning his face towards her for a gentle kiss. "Let's go up to our suite and get settled before it's time to change for dinner," she suggested with a provocative smile.

King Randor smiled happily at Queen Marlena before he winked at his son. "We'll leave you alone now," he told them as he took his wife's hand and led her away.

As soon as they were in their suite and all the servants had finally left them alone, Adam looked at Teela with raised eyebrows. "What was that kiss and that look all about?"

Teela looked him in the eyes before she answered. "Despite the... state of affairs... between us, I don't want anyone to have any reason to cause discord in the kingdom so I will do whatever is necessary to make sure that no one has grounds to question our relationship or my devotion to you as your wife. What happens between us behind closed doors will remain private Adam; in public we are husband and wife."

"Because it's your duty to the kingdom," he nodded.

"Of course," Teela said with a small frown. "Just as it's yours."

Adam straightened up and mentally added another brick to the wall around his heart. "Of course," he echoed. "I'm going to go see Cringer before it's time to get ready for dinner."

Teela nodded as she watched him leave the room and then sighed. She changed into a comfortable pair of lounging clothes and then she lay down on the bed to rest for awhile before dinner.

Adam went out to the stables and found Cringer sleeping in their usual spot. "Hey Cringer," he said softly.

Cringer opened his eyes and looked up at Adam with excitement and a big cat grin as he stood and stretched before moving to his friend and butting his hand with his head.

Adam chuckled and began to stroke his pet's head lovingly. "So I guess you missed me, eh?" he asked. "I missed you, too." He sighed as he sat down on the ground and leaned against a hay bale.

Cringer lay down beside him and placed his head in the prince's lap.

"I don't know why I keep getting so angry whenever Teela brings up the topic of duty," he said softly. "I mean, she _is_ right after all; it's our duty to protect the kingdom in whatever ways we can and to one day provide an heir to the throne. I just want her to see this marriage as more than something she _has_ to do... I want her to love me as much as I love her. But as long as I have to keep my secret from her, she's never going to be able to see past who she believes me to be to who I really am."

Cringer looked up at his master with sorrowful eyes and licked his cheek.

Adam smiled before he sighed once more. "I'm going to go to Castle Grayskull and see if the Sorceress will at least let me tell Teela my secret. I mean, how am I supposed to keep something like this from her? It's not fair to me or to Teela."

Cringer blinked at him and cocked his head to the side.

Adam chuckled as he scratched the great cat behind the ears once more. "Elders preserve you from ever finding a mate," he said softly as he sighed disconsolately.

Adam stood and squared his shoulders. "I'm going to go speak to the Sorceress right now," he decided. "I have a few hours before dinner and no one will miss me since they all think that I'm with Teela right now."

Adam found a sky sled and took off in the direction of Castle Grayskull, determined to speak to the Sorceress about the dilemma he now found himself in.

As soon as he entered the castle he made his way towards the throne room. When he'd first entered the castle over four years ago, he'd been wary and nervous and every little sound had made him jumpy. Now he barely noticed his surroundings as he unerringly made his way to the Sorceress' throne room.

"Sorceress," he called as he looked up at the empty throne. "I need to speak to you."

That was another thing, he realized. He was no longer intimated by the mysterious guardian of the castle and, while he respected her authority, he had little patience for her cryptic answers and stand-offish behavior.

"Sorceress!" he called again, a little more impatiently this time.

"I know why you have come Prince Adam," her voice seemed to reverberate around him as she floated in from another room. "I'm afraid I cannot grant your request at this time."

"What do you mean you can't grant my request?" he asked levelly. "It's not fair to Teela, or to me, to keep my identity as He-Man a secret from her."

"I'm afraid that allowing Teela the knowledge of your secret would be detrimental to everyone," she replied. "Especially to Teela."

"How could knowing my secret hurt her?" he demanded. "She thinks I'm having an affair because I can't tell her the truth about where I go when I disappear!"

"I am sorry Prince Adam, but the wisdom of the Elders and the visions I've seen of the future insist that Teela must not know your secret at this time," she insisted. "I give you my word that I will notify you immediately if that changes."

Adam grit his teeth together and then covered his face with his hands wearily. When he looked up into the Sorceress' eyes his own were resigned. "Fine," he said listlessly. "But when the kingdom of Eternia is in an uproar, don't say I didn't warn you." Without waiting for a reply, he turned and stalked out of the castle.


	14. Visiting Dignitaries

**Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews! I really appreciate them! Posts may slow down as we get closer to the holidays for two reasons: one, I am caught up to my pre-written chapters and am now writing chapters as I post them and two, I work for the world's largest retailer and November/December is their busiest season. Even though I'm only a part-time employee, I may be getting more hours as we get closer to Christmas. I am writing as much as I can in my free time in an effort to get a few chapters ahead. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

"What did he mean that Teela thinks he's having an affair?" Duncan's voice came from the shadows, where he'd hidden himself from the prince's view, after Adam had left.

"Teela believes that the reason he disappears and then showers immediately upon returning is because he is having an affair with another woman," she sighed. "Adam has allowed her to believe whatever she wants because he cannot tell her the truth about why he leaves and where he goes. I believe that because he has gotten his feelings hurt and is possibly a bit angry at her accusation, on top of the fact that he is growing weary of carrying the burden of being He-Man, it is affecting his decisions. Even a year ago he would not have allowed her to think that of him."

"If she decides to tell the king of her suspicions Adam could be in a great deal of trouble," Man-at-Arms said darkly.

"Teela has agreed to remain married to Prince Adam so I don't believe she would tell the king of her suspicions," she told him. "She believes it is her duty to the kingdom of Eternia to protect it by remaining silent."

"You would allow your daughter~ _our_ daughter~ to suffer like this?" he asked incredulously.

She looked down sadly and sighed before lifting her gaze to meet his. "I do not wish to do so, Duncan, but as I told Adam, it is not the right time for her to know this secret. These experiences will help her to grow emotionally and will strengthen her to be the queen that she will need to be in the future."

Duncan looked at her closely. "What can I do to help them?"

"Just be there for them in whatever capacity they need you to be," she replied. "I'm afraid they have some trials ahead of them, but they must go through them in order to become stronger individuals and fortified as a couple."

Man-at-Arms nodded his head in understanding.

"What about Adam? Should we be concerned about his ability to make decisions as He-Man?" he asked.

"No," the Sorceress replied. "It seems to only be things that affect his life as Prince Adam that he's allowing himself to make choices that may not be the best for him. Perhaps you can discuss it with him and try to help him; remind him that he is to be king one day and he must take care to guard his reputation."

Man-at-Arms nodded his agreement. "I'll speak to him."

Teela'Na sighed and looked at her friend before she began to make her way out of the throne room.

Duncan watched her go in concern. While she had fully recovered from King Hss' attack a few years ago, she seemed to be more melancholy of late. He wondered how much of it was physical exhaustion from having to help shore up the castle's defenses every time Skeletor attacked and how much of it was emotional due to being trapped in this place all alone and having to make the decisions she regularly had to make.

Like giving up her only child to a man she hardly knew or watching that same child suffer emotionally because she couldn't know that her new husband was not only the prince of Eternia, but He-Man as well.

He followed her into the private chambers they had been in before Adam had shown up and watched as she sat down heavily in a chair.

"Are you going to tell Teela that you're her mother?" he asked. "Now that her destiny is to be the queen of Eternia and not to take your place, don't you think it's time?"

Teela'Na looked up at him with weary eyes and shook her head slowly. "As long as Skeletor and his companions are a threat to this castle it isn't safe for her to know. Besides, I don't know that she isn't to take my place. Just because she will be queen does not necessarily mean that she won't become the new sorceress."

"But how could she be both?" he asked with a frown. "I would think that one would preclude the other."

She shook her head again and sighed. "I do not know the answers to those questions, I'm afraid."

Duncan watched her quietly for a few moments before he finally spoke again. "Teela'Na, go and rest; I will head back to the palace and the castle's defenses will wake you if anyone attacks," he said gently.

She lifted her eyes to him before giving him a small smile. "Very well," she replied as she stood. "Good night Duncan."

"Good night," he murmured as he turned to leave.

The Sorceress waited until he was gone before she went to the throne room and waved her hand in front of the mirror that showed her the goings-on in Eternia. She waved her hand before it once more and watched Teela as she sat in a wing-backed chair reading a book.

Prince Adam entered the room and Teela glanced up at him before returning her attention to her book.

"I just saw my mother and she said that my father is having a big dinner to celebrate our homecoming," he told her. "That means it will be with the court and everyone will want to see the happy royal couple and how much in love we are."

"All right," she replied softly. "I can handle it."

Adam pursed his lips and remained silent. If he were ever to win her heart, he needed to remember to not lash out at her just because he had hurt feelings.

"My mother picked out our clothes and had them freshly pressed," he said as he sat in the chair beside hers. "If you need help with your hair and makeup you can call Inya, or Daima, and we have to wear our crowns."

Teela looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Who all is going to be there tonight?"

"The usual nobles and the masters, but there's a delegation from Aragnor on the southern continent so everyone needs to be dressed in their best. Father really wants a trade agreement with them because they have some rare metals that we need."

"In other words, this is important," Teela nodded as she stood and placed her book on the table between the two chairs. "I'll send for Daima, then. Do you know which dress your mother wants me to wear tonight?"

"Actually, a servant should be bringing our clothes up any minute," he replied. "But let me know if you need anything else and I'll be happy to help you."

Teela looked at him in surprise. "Thank you Adam," she said before leaving their bedchambers to go and send for Daima.

Teela'Na waved her hand in front of the mirror to view the future and watched the same scene she had seen the last time play out once again and she took a deep breath and nodded her head slowly before waving her hand over the mirror one last time as it fell silent and her reflection was all she could see.

As much as she hated doing it, she had made the right decision in refusing to allow Prince Adam to tell Teela his secret. She was sure of it.

Sighing wearily she went back to her private chambers and prepared for bed. She lay down and pulled a very large pillow close to her, hugging it tightly as she closed her eyes and remembered happier times in her life.

Adam inhaled sharply when Teela came out of their bedchambers dressed for dinner. It never ceased to amaze him how incredibly beautiful she was and he swallowed hard before moving to stand in front of her.

Daima came out of the room behind Teela and smiled happily as she saw the prince's response. "She's simply gorgeous, isn't she your highness?"

"Yes," Adam said as he looked at Teela with an intensity that at once embarrassed and confused her. He kissed her tenderly before holding his arm out to his wife. "Shall we?"

Teela resisted the urge to lick her lips after Adam kissed her and she accepted his arm and nodded as they left their suite and made their way through the palace corridors to the formal banquet hall.

They were announced immediately upon their arrival and they went directly to present themselves before the king and queen.

Teela curtsied gracefully and Adam bowed and then they were introduced to the delegation from Aragnor before they were seated in their chairs at the dining table.

King Randor ordered the meal to be served and, as a servant made his way around pouring wine for everyone at the royal table, Teela took Adam's hand and leaned close enough to gently kiss his cheek.

Adam smiled tenderly at her and caressed her face with his palm before thanking the servant who placed his meal in front of him.

Man-at-Arms entered the dining hall and bowed before the king and queen and greeted the visiting dignitaries before moving to his seat beside Teela.

Teela stood when her father reached his seat and hugged him before he sat down. "I missed you," she murmured to him softly.

"I missed you, too, dearest," he said as he returned her hug. "How was your trip?"

"Fine," she said as she re-took her seat.

Man-at-Arms sat in his own seat and took a drink of his wine before he replied. "That's good. If you have time for your old father I'd like to talk with you alone some time soon."

"Is everything all right?" she asked him in concern.

"I'm not sure," he said softly. "That's why I'd like to speak with you."

"Should we go somewhere to speak privately now?" she asked.

"No," he said with a small shake of his head, "it'll keep for a time."

Teela nodded and turned her attention back to her meal, though she was concerned about what her father had to say to her.

Adam leaned towards Teela halfway through their meal and lifted her hand so he could kiss the back of it. "You've hardly touched your food; is everything all right?"

Teela looked at him and gave him a small smile. "Sorry; I guess I'm just preoccupied and not very hungry."

Adam gave her a questioning look but she shook her head slightly and smiled, her eyes flicking towards Lady Dianara and her entourage before she leaned forward and kissed him.

Adam gave her a smoldering look when they broke apart and Teela blushed before turning back to her meal.

"She's always watching us," she said quietly to Adam.

"Who?" he asked with a puzzled frown.

"Lady Dianara," she replied. "Everywhere we go that she's around, she's always watching the two of us. It started before the wedding and she's still doing it."

Adam sighed. "Has she said anything to you? Anything inappropriate?"

Teela looked at him. "No; why would she?"

"I wasn't sure how she would take our marriage," he admitted. "She cornered me about a year ago and kissed me and then she told me that she wanted to be the princess and future queen. When I told her I didn't feel that way about her she got very angry and said that if I would just giver her a chance I might one day fall in love with her."

"Why didn't you at least try to court her?" Teela asked. "Maybe she was right."

Adam shook his head and took a drink of his wine before looking at her with that intense look that confused her and made her feel things she didn't know what to do about. "Because I was already in love with someone else."

Teela was about to ask him who when his father announced that Orko was going to be performing a magic trick in honor of their guests.

Everyone turned their attention to the tiny Trollan.

Orko pulled several small yellow balls out of his hat and began juggling them. "Little balls so small and tame, light up with a bright blue flame," he chanted and the balls suddenly were engulfed in a blue fire that grew in intensity. One of the balls got away from him and bounced off the table, igniting the tablecloth while another rolled across the stone floor leaving a trail of fire behind it.

Man-at-Arms jumped up from his seat and grabbed a fire extinguishing device while several of the Masters followed suit.

The dining hall was in chaos for several minutes as people ran from the fires that had been started and Man-at-Arms and the Masters worked to put them out.

When things had settled down once more, Orko deflated and apologized profusely.

Prince Vlacan, the leader of the delegation from Aragnor, began laughing heartily. "No harm done," he managed to get out. "At least state dinners around here aren't stuffy, boring affairs like at home!"

King Randor relaxed and laughed, too. "No, things are never boring around here," he grinned and soon the servants had everything set to rights again and the party continued.

"Are you all right?" Adam asked Teela as he held her chair for her to sit down once again.

Teela nodded. "I'm fine. Good ol' Orko strikes again," she smiled.

Adam returned her smile and nodded. "I'm just glad it turned out okay," he said softly. "Father would have been furious if our guests had been offended or if it had somehow caused them to refuse to sign a trade agreement."

Teela looked at him intently for a moment before she turned her attention to King Randor, who was speaking to her and Adam.

"Prince Vlacan has invited the two of you to visit the kingdom of Aragnor on the southern continent," he said. "I think that after you return from your trip to Avion and Andreenos that you should accept his invitation."

Adam smiled and nodded at the prince. "We would be honored; thank you," he said.

Teela politely inclined her head at the visiting prince as well. "Thank you for inviting us," she said.

The rest of the evening passed with dancing and mingling with the nobility before it was finally time for them to turn in for the night.

Teela climbed into bed and sighed softly as she closed her eyes. She was glad the night was over; it was extremely taxing to have to play at being a happy couple.

Adam entered their bedchambers and moved to the lavatory to prepare for bed before he climbed in beside her and turned out his light. "Good night," he said softly.

"Good night," she replied. It didn't take her long to fall asleep.


	15. Interrupted!

**Hello again! Thank you all for your awesome reviews! They are keeping me motivated! Hope you are still enjoying this tale of mine. If so, please let me know. If not, well... as long as you do it nicely. ;-) On we go...**

Teela lay down on the bed and put a cold compress over her eyes as she sighed. Since they had arrived back from their wedding trip more than a week earlier, they had been busy helping the king and queen to entertain the visiting delegation from Aragnor. Teela had begun her new schedule their second day home and she was exhausted; being a princess was much harder than being a soldier, she thought.

A knock on the bedchamber door caused her to groan before she answered. "Who is it?"

"It's Marlena, dear," her mother-in-law's voice responded. "May I come in?"

"Yes, of course," Teela called as she scrambled to sit up and make herself presentable.

"Relax, darling," Marlena said softly as she shut the door behind her. "I heard you came to lie down because you have a headache; should I call a healer?"

"Oh, no, Your Majesty," Teela said indicating the compress in her hand. "I already stopped by and spoke to Darius and he suggested I try this first."

"Then why don't you lie back down and put it over your eyes?" Marlena suggested. "I just came to make sure that you were all right."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Teela said as she reclined once again and put the cold cloth over her eyes.

"Dear, I've told you when we're alone, or just with family, you may call me Marlena or Mom," the queen said with a smile as she sat beside the young woman on the bed facing her. "You're my daughter now."

Teela moved the cloth from her eyes as they filled with tears. "Thank you," she said softly, "I... I don't know what to say. I've always wanted~" she shook her head and swallowed back the sob that threatened.

"I know," Marlena said softly as she tenderly brushed a few stray hairs from Teela's forehead. She leaned forward and kissed her brow and took the compress from her before placing it gently back over her eyes. "Rest for awhile and I'll have some tea sent up for you with a light snack. Sometimes I get headaches when I don't eat properly."

"Thank you," Teela murmured softly.

"You're welcome," Queen Marlena replied before she left the room.

A few minutes later Teela heard the door open and she felt the bed shift again and then felt someone take her hand. Removing the compress from her eyes once more, she was surprised to see Adam sitting there looking at her in concern.

"I heard you weren't feeling well so I came to see if there's anything I can do to help," he told her, "and Marsl is here with your tea."

Teela nodded and sat up against the headboard as Adam went to let the maid in. She thanked the young woman after she'd set the tray over her lap and then Marsl curtsied to both of them before quietly leaving the room.

Adam picked up the teapot and poured some tea into her cup before placing just the right amount of sweetener and cream into her tea and stirring it. Then he handed it to her with a small smile.

Teela blinked at him before she quietly thanked him and took the cup, taking a small sip and smiling; it was perfect.

"Did you ever get a chance to talk to your father?" he asked softly.

Teela sighed as she shook her head and swallowed her tea. "No; either he's been too busy or I have. I'd actually be kind of relieved that Prince Vlacan and the others from Aragnor left this morning if your father hadn't announced that we're leaving to go to Avion the day after tomorrow."

Adam gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry; I know this isn't what you had in mind when you agreed to marry me."

"Well, I have to admit that I thought it would be really boring," she said just before she took another sip of tea and swallowed. "After all, for the last several years most of what I've seen of your life is sleeping in stables, flirting with courtiers and running away from battles. I haven't been around you enough lately to know if that's still what you do all day or if you're actually as busy as I am."

Adam grimaced and then sighed. "Actually, after our wedding my father decided that it's time that I grow up and become more responsible and start learning to be the future king, so I'm as busy as you are," he told her. "My mother also sets my schedule, so I have one that's pretty similar to yours."

"Oh?" Teela asked with a raised eyebrow and a mischievous smile, "you're learning to embroidery, too?"

Adam laughed at that and shook his head. "No, but I'm learning how to write laws and interpret peace, trade and border agreements," he told her.

"So what's your schedule like?" she asked as she started to move the tray.

"Three mornings a week I take private lessons on the things I just mentioned and the other three mornings a week I spend with your father learning about the defense of the kingdom and taking combat lessons," Adam replied as he took the tray from her and set it on the table between the wing-backed chairs and then moved back over to sit on the bed beside Teela so that he was facing her. As soon as she lay back again, he placed the cool compress over her eyes while he continued speaking softly. "Every afternoon I have a fitness class with my father and some of the nobles after an hour rest period following lunch. Three afternoons a week I spend with my father learning what it means to be the king and the other three I'm supposed to spend with you, as you know."

"Your mother is very consistent, isn't she?" she asked with a small smile.

"She is," he agreed. "But I think that's actually a good thing most of the time." He took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Get some rest; I've cleared our schedule this afternoon so you don't need to worry about anything but getting rid of that headache."

"What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going to sit here in our room in one of those chairs and read," he told her. "That way if you need anything I'll be close by and can make sure you get it."

"You don't have to do that," she said softly.

"I know," he replied. "I want to. Try to sleep and see if that helps you any."

"Thank you Adam," Teela said softly.

"You're welcome," he said as he lifted her hand and kissed the back of it before standing and moving to sit in one of the wing-backed chairs to read.

Teela kept the cold compress over her eyes as she tried to sort through the confused feelings she had whenever Adam behaved the way he was behaving today towards her. She was nearly asleep when a light knock on their bedchamber door roused her and she heard Adam answer it.

"Man-at-Arms," he said quietly, "what can I do for you?"

"I heard Teela wasn't feeling well and was resting so I came up to see how she's doing," he replied, keeping his voice low.

Teela removed the compress and looked towards the bedchamber door. "I'm awake," she told them. "You don't have to talk so quietly and you can come in Father."

Adam grinned sheepishly and stepped aside to allow his friend and mentor entrance.

"How are you feeling?" Man-at-Arms asked his daughter as he entered the room.

Teela sat up and brushed her fingers through her unruly hair. "A little better," she answered. "My headache seems to be gone now."

"That's good," Duncan said as he sat down in the chair the prince had just moved over beside the bed and took his daughter's hand.

"I'm going to go out to the sitting room and give the two of you a chance to talk," Adam told them.

"Thank you Adam," Duncan smiled before turning his attention to his daughter.

Teela frowned slightly as the door closed behind Adam and then she sighed and looked at her father with a smile. "I've missed you," she said. "I know we see each other nearly every day, but it isn't the same as it was before I got married."

"No, it isn't," he agreed, "but that's the way it should be. You're a grown woman now and it's natural that our relationship will change, especially now that you are married and working on starting a family of your own."

Teela looked uncomfortable at this and she nodded as she played with the edges of the pillow she was holding. "I suppose," she shrugged.

"How are you and Adam getting on; everything all right?" he asked.

Again, Teela shrugged. "I suppose so," she replied.

Duncan narrowed his eyes. "Anything you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

Teela took a deep breath. "Did you know that Adam disappears? I mean, we all know he runs away from battles, but were you aware that he sometimes disappears for hours at a time?"

"Does he disappear every day?" he asked.

"No," Teela said as she frowned in puzzlement. "He hasn't done it since we returned from our wedding trip."

"Did he disappear every day then?" he asked.

"No," she replied. "He did three times the first week and twice the second, and then only once more during our last week."

"Have you asked him about it?" he asked her.

"Yes," Teela said, getting angry all of a sudden and remembering to tamp down on it at the last minute so that she wouldn't blurt out to her father that Adam was having an affair.

"Where did he tell you he goes?" he asked.

"He~" Teela paused as she suddenly realized that she hadn't really _asked _Adam where he went... she had made an assumption and his reply had been vague. She thought about the weeks prior to their wedding and some of the conversations they had had while Adam had been courting her and she began to wonder if she hadn't misjudged him.

"He... what?" her father asked when she'd been silent for several long moments.

"He didn't really say," she admitted. "I kind of jumped to conclusions and he didn't tell me I was wrong, so I'm not really sure where it is he goes off to."

"Dearest," Man-at-Arms sighed, "you are an intelligent, brave young woman, but sometimes you allow your temper to get the better of you and you don't take time to really examine all of the facts; you simply react to what you perceive to be the truth of a matter. Part of growing up is learning to take in all of the facts and carefully consider them before coming to a reasonable conclusion. Even better would be to ask Adam where he goes and what he does and actually talk to him."

"You're right," Teela said with a small, sheepish smile.

Duncan chuckled and kissed her forehead. "I have to get back to my workshop; I have some new projects that I'm working on. I hope you feel better soon."

"Thank you Daddy," she said distractedly as he left her alone.

A short time later Adam returned to their room and set his book on the night table on his side of the bed before he looked over at his wife. "How are you feeling? Can I get you anything?" he asked.

Teela looked up at him and tilted her head as she looked at him. "Come sit down," she said, tilting her head towards the chair her father had vacated. "I'm feeling better, by the way, thank you."

Adam looked at her curiously as he did as she asked and sat in the chair that was on her side of the bed facing her. "What is it?"

"Are you having an affair?" she asked him point blank.

Adam blinked and then frowned. "I thought you already asked me that."

Teela shook her head. "No... no, I asked 'who is she' and you asked 'does it matter' and I just assumed that meant that you were admitting to it, but I can't believe that the boy I grew up with would grow up to be the kind of man that would do something like that. Especially the way you acted the whole month before our wedding when you were courting me. So I'm not going to assume, I'm asking you a direct question and I would like an honest answer. Are you having an affair with another woman?"

"No," Adam said as he looked her in the eyes.

Teela sighed and her whole body relaxed. "Why would you allow me to assume that you were? And why on Eternia would you tell me that I could find someone else?"

"I was hurt that you could think that about me and since I can't tell you the real reason I disappear, I decided it was better to just let you believe whatever you wanted to," he admitted. "As for why I told you it was okay for you to find someone else... Teela, you gave up everything for me. Your career, your future chance at finding someone to love and to have a family with. You sacrificed everything in order to save my life; the least I could do was to allow you to be happy."

Teela was about to reply when the alarms began blaring and a loud explosion rocked the palace.

"Of course!" Adam exclaimed and threw up his hands as he jumped out of the chair and ran towards the bedchamber door. "It never fails!" He looked at Teela for just a moment before shaking his head. "Go to the safe rooms with my parents and stay there until the guards tell you it's okay to leave."

"Where are you going?" Teela asked with a frown. She had already gotten out of the bed and was now standing in front of him in their sitting room, having followed him from the bedchambers.

Adam looked intently at her for a moment and sighed. "I have to go keep a promise. Now hurry; take a guard with you and head for the safe rooms." He leaned forward and kissed her before hurrying out of their suite.

Teela stood there with wide eyes and wondered what had just happened, even as a royal guardsman entered the suite and led her out towards the rooms that were designated 'safe' rooms for the royal family during an attack on the palace.


	16. Attacked

**OMG! This chapter is so long! I had a hard time finding a good place to stop! Thank you for all of the reviews! You're keeping me motivated! Enjoy!**

Adam quickly found Cringer and transformed them into He-Man and Battle Cat before they raced out of the palace and out into the courtyard. He was expecting to find Skeletor and his minions attacking the palace as he and Battle Cat joined Man-at-Arms and the Masters, so he was surprised to see hundreds of robots marching on the attack shooting blasters at them.

"Don't tell me Skeletor has got a few new toys," He-Man said to Duncan as he leapt from Battle Cat's back and drew his sword to deflect the blasts the robots were shooting at them.

"I don't think they belong to Skeletor," Man-at-Arms replied as he used his arm cannon to blast several of the robots into bits. "The alarms sounded because someone broke the man that was supposed to kill Prince Adam out of prison."

He-Man's eyebrows rose even as he deflected another bolt back towards the robot that shot it, effectively destroying the thing. "No one ever found out who he is?"

"No," Man-at-Arms replied grimly. "He refused to answer any questions. All he would say is that he must complete his mission to kill the prince."

"Surely the Sorceress~" He-Man began but broke off when the man in question flew in front of the robots and began looking at those who were fighting against them.

"Where's the prince?" he asked. "Where is Prince Adam? I must complete my mission and kill the prince!"

"Kinda like that?" He-Man asked dryly before turning his attention back to the deranged man and the robots that were nearly completely destroyed as the Masters and the royal guard took them down quickly and effectively.

As the last robot finally went down and the man realized that he was the only one left he frowned and began to retreat.

"Wait!" He-Man called, stepping forward as he sheathed his sword. The odd looking man appeared to be unarmed. "Why are you trying to kill Prince Adam? Who are you? Who sent you?"

The weaselly-looking man stared at He-Man for a moment and his eyes narrowed before he suddenly grinned maniacally. Lifting a crystal orb from his pocket he pointed it at the hero and a bright light shot out from it, hitting He-Man square in the chest and knocking him backwards where he fell to the ground unconscious.

"He-Man," Man-at-Arms called out as he moved to kneel beside him.

"Yes! I did it," the man screamed excitedly. "I succeeded in killing the prince! I~" he was cut off as a laser blast caught him in the chest and he fell to the ground.

The guardsman who had shot the insane man moved quickly to secure him as Darius and his helpers began to move about helping the wounded and making sure that no one was critically injured.

He-Man groaned as Duncan was scanning him to see what his injuries were and slowly opened his eyes. "Oh... did anyone catch whatever it was that hit me?" he asked as he slowly sat up and rubbed his head.

"Actually, guardsman Tovak did," Duncan chuckled. "Our prisoner is in custody once again. Are you hurt?"

He-Man slowly got to his feet and shook his head. "Nothing serious," he replied, "though I'm going to be feeling _that_ for a few days, I think."

"Who is that guy?" Buzz-Off asked as they watched the guards lead the now-conscious man back towards the palace prison. "And why would he say he'd succeeded in killing the prince when he hit He-Man with the blast from that stone?"

"He's obviously insane," He-Man replied as he noticed the other Masters had gathered around and were looking just as curious. "I don't think he's in tune with reality."

The all nodded in agreement and Man-at-Arms began giving orders to begin the cleanup.

"Well, the good news is we have lots of scrap metal that we can recycle now," He-Man grinned at his mentor as he hefted six of the downed robots and tossed them into the ever-growing pile. "It will save the kingdom some money."

Duncan smiled and shook his head as he rolled is eyes. "I need to examine a few of them and try to find out where they came from; maybe they'll give us a clue who that man is or who he's working for."

"What makes you so sure Skeletor isn't behind this?" asked Mekaneck.

"Skeletor would want the credit," He-Man replied. "His ego wouldn't allow for anything else."

"He-Man's right," Man-at-Arms concurred. "Skeletor wouldn't want anyone else to take credit for something like this."

"Father, have you seen Adam?" Teela's voice called and they all turned to see the princess of Eternia heading in their direction. "Does anyone know where Adam is?"

As all of the other Masters answered in the negative and went back to work cleaning up, Teela turned her attention to her father and He-Man.

"Adam didn't come to the safe rooms," she told them. "He said he was going to keep a promise and then he ran out of our suite and I have no idea where he's gone. Several courtiers told the king and queen that they heard that madman claiming that he killed the prince; I have to find him!"

"Teela," He-Man said, placing a large hand on her arm. "Adam's fine."

"You've seen him?" she asked.

"No," He-Man replied, "but I know where he is and I know he's safe. He'll be back soon."

"How do you~" she began, but was cut off as the king and queen interrupted her by calling out to Man-at-Arms.

"I have to be going now," He-Man said as the king and queen approached. "If I see Adam I'll send him this way. Battle Cat!" he called and mounted the great tiger's saddle when he came to him.

Teela watched as they left and wondered how it was He-Man could possibly know where Adam was and whether or not he was okay. She shook her head as her in-laws reached them and began asking her father questions about what had happened.

"Has anyone seen Adam?" the king asked finally. "There's a rumor that the assassin succeeded in killing him and no one seems to know where he is."

"I'm sure Adam is fine," Duncan replied. "He'll turn up, just as he always does."

"He-Man said you're looking for me?" Adam asked as he approached the group as if on cue.

"Adam," King Randor sighed in relief. "Where have you been Son?"

Adam looked distraught as he considered how to answer before he sighed. "I can't tell you," he said. "I gave my word not to tell anyone."

"You gave your word to whom?" King Randor demanded.

"I can't tell you that, either," Adam said shaking his head.

"I demand answers Adam," Randor said as he took a step toward his son. "I've been patient over the last four years as I've heard how you run from battles and disappear Elders know where, but you're more than old enough to begin putting aside the folly of youth and to start taking responsibility as the heir to the throne. You're a married man now and may soon be a father yourself, it's high time for you to begin to act like an adult."

"Act like~" Adams sputtered. "You have no idea how long I've had to act like an adult! No idea what I've had to sacrifice for you and the kingdom and Eternia!" he exclaimed, suddenly furious and unable to control it. "You have no right to criticize or question me! I can't believe~" he broke off as a sharp pain lanced through his abdomen and he gasped for breath as he hunched over. The pain subsided and he looked up, fury lighting his features. "If you'd just open your eyes instead of~" he broke off once again as another pain speared through him and he fell to his knees sweating and gasping for breath.

"Adam, what's wrong?" Teela asked as she knelt beside him. She placed a palm on his brow and frowned. "You're burning up!" she exclaimed as she turned her head and called, "Darius! Hurry!"

Adam looked at everyone with glazed eyes as he took labored breaths and then promptly fell forward unconscious.

"Adam!" Teela exclaimed at the same moment her father, the king and the queen did as well.

Man-at-Arms gently rolled the prince onto his back and began scanning him for injuries. "He's running a very high fever and he's slipped into a coma," he said with a frown. "I've never seen anyone become comatose that quickly before."

Darius had just arrived when Man-at-Arms made his statement and he pushed his way between the king and queen to kneel beside the unconscious prince and began taking his vitals. "What happened to him?" he asked. "Was he injured in the battle?"

"He wasn't even in the battle," King Randor replied.

"Where was he then?" Darius asked as he motioned for one of his assistants to come over. "Get me a hover-gurney and prepare a cooling bath immediately," he told her.

"He wouldn't tell us," Randor answered Darius' question as the assistant hurried off to do as the healer asked. "He just became very angry when I confronted him about it and he wasn't making any sense."

Teela watched Darius and healer Malivar gently lift the prince onto the hover-gurney that the latter had brought over. She would mull over Adam's words later, when she wasn't so concerned that he might die. Right now, all she cared about was that her husband was in a coma and running a high fever. Moving to his side and taking his hand she dared anyone to say something to her with a single look and Darius simply nodded.

"We have to get him to the infirmary quickly," he said as they began to move.

King Randor, Queen Marlena and Man-at-Arms all followed behind them at a clipped pace, keeping back only a few steps as they raced into the infirmary.

They moved into a private room and healer Senedra stopped everyone except Teela from entering. "Give us some space to work and we'll let you know what's happening as soon as we can," she said gently.

As soon as the door closed Marlena frowned slightly. "They let Teela go in with him," she stated.

"She is his wife," King Randor said softly. "She's where she should be; at his side."

"I gave birth to him!" she protested with a slight frown.

Inside the infirmary room the medics were all working quickly as Teela stepped back out of their way. She watched as they quickly removed the prince's sword and set it aside before they began cutting his clothing off of him. She was too worried to be embarrassed that Adam was soon completely naked as they lowered him into the tub of gel that would help to bring his fever down.

A few minutes after he'd been placed into the tub he began to convulse violently and the healers all began to scramble to keep him from harming himself.

"Hand me that leather strap," Darius exclaimed as he held Adam with one hand and held the other out palm up. As soon as Malivar had placed the requested item into his palm, he shoved it between the prince's teeth and moved as Senedra quickly placed an odd looking padded hat over his head.

Teela moved forward and took his hand in hers, holding on in spite of the way his body was thrashing about. She focused on calming thoughts and feelings to keep herself from panicking and within moments Prince Adam began to calm and became still.

Darius took the Prince's temperature once again as he ordered Malivar to start an IV of fluids and then told Senedra to prepare a bed for the prince with energy restraints in case he had another seizure.

Ten minutes later Senedra moved the hover-gurney beside the tub once more and they lifted him from the gel and onto the gurney. Senedra and Malivar quickly cleaned the prince up before moving the hover-gurney beside the bed and moving him into it. Malivar covered him with a sheet while Senedra removed the hover-gurney from the room and began cleaning things up.

Teela sat beside Adam's bed and frowned when Malivar activated the energy restraints. "Must you restrain him?" she asked softly.

"I'm afraid so, Highness," he replied. "Until we're sure he's not going to have any more seizures, it's for his own safety to restrict his movements."

Teela simply nodded as she again took Adam's hand while Darius entered the room once more and began drawing blood.

As soon as he was finished taking the necessary samples, Darius left the room again and Malivar began hooking the prince up to several monitoring devices. He explained what each one was and its function to Teela as he did so and once he was finished he recorded all of the readings onto a chart that he lifted from a nearby table.

Senedra came and removed the odd-looking padded hat from Adam's head and nodded to the princess before she moved away from the bed.

Teela stood and leaned near enough that she could brush the hair off of Adam's forehead and then she kissed him gently. "Don't you dare die on me," she said softly. "We have so much we still need to talk about and someday we're supposed to produce an heir to the throne." She swallowed back her tears and leaned close to his ear so that she could whisper to him. "Don't you leave me Adam; I want the chance to make you fall in love with me and I want to have your babies... we have too much life ahead of us for you to leave me now. I love you."

The door opened and Teela looked up standing to her feet when the king and queen, with her father behind them, entered the room and made their way towards his bed.

"How is he?" King Randor asked.

Teela bit her lip to hold back her tears and shook her head.

"It doesn't look good," Darius answered for her as he joined them. "I've drawn some blood to run some tests but as far as I can tell his body is shutting down and I have no idea why. It's as if he's been poisoned somehow, but I can't find any known toxins in his blood. All I can do at this point is do my best to keep him alive while we look for the cause and hope that we not only find it in time, but that we find a way to reverse it."

Marlena looked at Teela when she heard a small sniffle and she immediately moved to take the young woman into her arms as she let her tears fall. "Is there any hope at all?" she asked Darius.

"As long as he's alive there's always hope Your Majesty," Darius answered.

Marlena nodded even as her own tears began to fall.

"If you'll excuse me, Sire," Darius said as he inclined his head towards the king, "I need to get back to work; I can't find a cure if I don't have any idea what's wrong."

"Of course," Randor nodded. "Thank you, Darius."

Man-at-Arms frowned as he looked at Adam and then he remembered that He-Man had been hit with a blast from that orb that the strange man had shot at him. What if it hadn't affected He-Man until he reverted back to Adam?

"Sire," Duncan said softly, "I need to go look into this matter myself. I must find out what happened to the prince to cause this and I may have an idea of where to start, but it's imperative that I get started immediately."

"Of course Duncan," Randor said as he looked at his oldest friend. "Please keep me informed of anything you find."

Duncan inclined his head in acknowledgment and hurried from the room.


	17. Awakening

**Hello everyone! I am so sorry it's taken so long to get this chapter out! The closer it gets to Black Friday (which I am absolutely convinced was invented by Satan himself) the crazier things get at work. The upside is that I am getting more hours, the drawback is that I have to deal with the mental ward escapees that call themselves customers. I'm too wiped to do anything by the time I get home and my schedule is all over the board! **

**I realized that the lines I was using to break up the chapters aren't coming through for some reason, so I think I've found a solution. Thank you for the amazing feedback; it's keeping me motivated! Enjoy!**

Man-at-Arms hurried to the palace prison where he found the guards all on full alert watching the madman who had shot the bolt from the crystal at He-Man pace around his cell muttering happily that he had killed the prince. "Where is the crystal he used to attack He-Man?" he asked Zandar, the guard in charge.

Zandar pulled the item in question from his pocket and held it out to his superior officer. "We've heard the prince has taken ill," he said softly. "Does it have anything to do with this?" he asked as he tilted his head towards the crystal.

"I don't see how it could," Duncan said carefully, "when He-Man is the one that he attacked with it. I want to take this to the Sorceress of Grayskull to have her examine it; maybe she can tell me where it came from or who this man is."

Zandar nodded once as Man-at-Arms took the crystal from him and left the prison. He looked at his fellow guardsmen and shook his head when he saw they wanted to speak more of the unusual coincidence. "If what we suspect is true, it is our duty to guard the prince's secret as closely as Man-at-Arms and the prince himself do," he said quietly. "We mustn't speak of this to anyone; agreed?"

The other two guardsmen nodded and they all placed their right fists against their hearts in a gesture of loyalty and a silent promise.

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Man-at-Arms was hurrying through the courtyard to go get a sky-sled so that he could hasten to Grayskull when Stratos called his name. Halting his progress, he turned to see the Avion leader with the largest man he'd ever seen standing beside a demure woman with ice-blue eyes and hair as black as the night sky.

"Prince Vlacan has sent his two best warriors to join the Masters," Stratos informed him as he handed Man-at-Arms the missive from the prince of Aragnor. "This is Vloren and Jevren," he told his leader as he indicated the man first and the woman second.

"It's nice to meet you both," Man-at-Arms said with a polite nod. "I'm afraid I am in a bit of a hurry, but Stratos will make sure that you meet the king and queen and are given quarters. I apologize for my haste, but it's a matter of great urgency; I promise I will meet with you first thing in the morning."

"Of course Sir," Vloren said with a nod of his head.

"We shall see you then," Jevren said as she, too, bowed her head.

Man-at-Arms handed the letter back to Stratos and then turned to hurry to a sky-sled so that he could head to Castle Grayskull.

When he arrived at the ancient castle he hurried inside and found the Sorceress looking in the mirror by her throne.

"Sorceress, I need your help," he said.

"Prince Adam has taken ill," she stated.

"Yes," Duncan replied and removed the crystal orb from his pocket and held it up. "He was hit, as He-Man, with a blast from this stone," he told her. "The man who used it on him somehow knew that he was Prince Adam; he is the same assassin who tried to kill Adam the morning after his and Teela's wedding."

The Sorceress' head jerked towards him and she floated down to where he was immediately, taking the orb from him and gazing at it intently. "The sphere of moonrahn," she breathed and looked up at him with troubled eyes. "He is under a very powerful spell; I am not sure that I will be able to find a way to break it."

"How did he know He-Man is Prince Adam?" he demanded. "He's been crowing in triumph that he succeeded in killing the prince and the whole kingdom knows that Adam is in the infirmary in a coma. Anyone who was at the battle knows that He-Man was hit with the blast from this stone... people are going to put the pieces together and come up with the obvious conclusion, I'm afraid."

"We will deal with that as the need arises, but right now the more pressing concern is to find a way to reverse the spell on Adam," she replied. "He-Man cannot exist without the prince and Eternia is vulnerable without both its champion and its heir. If he had been hit with this while he was Prince Adam he would, in fact, have died. Did anything happen to him when he was hit as He-Man?"

"He fell unconscious for a few moments, but he was up rather quickly and only commented that he would be feeling it for a few days," Duncan replied. "I thought he was joking."

"Mm," she murmured as she nodded thoughtfully. She moved the orb to her left hand and held out her right hand palm up. A light shimmered and a bottle appeared in her hand and she handed it to Duncan. "Tell Darius to give him no more than five drawlets of this per day; it will help to keep his fever down and hopefully prevent him from having seizures. I must go to the library and begin research into finding a way to counter this spell."

Duncan accepted the bottle and nodded his head. "I'll return to the palace immediately to give it to him," he replied. "Also, you should know; Prince Vlacan from the southern continent has sent two of their warriors to join the Masters."

"I am aware of this," she nodded. "Jevren is a powerful sorceress and Vloren can communicate with animals and control certain elements, in addition to both being skilled warriors; they will be valuable allies."

Man-at-Arms looked surprised before he nodded. "I'll be on my way, then."

"I will contact you if I find anything," she said before floating out of the throne room towards the castle's library.

Duncan turned and left the castle and headed back towards the palace. He was surprised to find a line of people outside the palace and he hurried to the front to speak to the guards who were keeping them from entering. "Morovin," he said to the guardsman nearest him, "what's the meaning of this?"

"They are all here to wish Prince Adam well and to bring him gifts," he replied. "King Randor and Queen Marlena have agreed to hold a special audience for them."

"This late in the day?" Duncan asked with a worried frown. "They need to get their rest."

"Sir, with all respect, their son is lying in the infirmary reportedly near death," Morovin replied. "I don't believe they will find sleep comes easily to them until he is well once more."

"What about Teela?" he asked with a slight frown.

"She refuses to leave the prince's bedside Sir," he answered.

"Do we have a sufficient number of guards to handle this?" Man-at-Arms asked, indicating the crowd.

"Aye Sir," Morovin responded.

"Very well," Duncan sighed. "Carry on." He hurried inside the palace and to the infirmary where he found Darius speaking quietly to the king and queen. He bowed slightly to his monarchs and then handed the bottle the Sorceress had given him to Darius. "The Sorceress of Grayskull sent this with the instructions to give the prince no more than five drawlets per day. She says it will help to keep his fever down and hopefully prevent further seizures."

"Did she say what it is?" he asked as he frowned at the bottle.

"No, but I trust her," Man-at-Arms replied. "She says that he is under a powerful spell and she is looking for a way to reverse it."

Darius looked at him in surprise and then scowled once more. "I hate magic," he grumbled as he bowed to the king and queen and went into Adam's room.

"I'm beginning to agree," King Randor stated.

"Sire, are you certain the two of you are up to holding audience with all of those people today?" Duncan asked. "I know that it is difficult, but you should try to get some rest."

"Our citizens are here to show their support for their prince and future king," King Randor replied, "the least we can do is to grant them an audience."

"Very well Sire," Man-at-Arms replied and bowed slightly. "What are your orders?"

"I want you beside us in the throne room," Randor answered. "There is no one I trust more than you to guard our safety. Let Captain Lanvar handle the rest of the guardsman."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teela sat quietly at Adam's bedside holding her husband's hand in hers. She'd eaten the meal that Darius had ordered up for her, only after he'd threatened to have her ousted from the infirmary if she didn't, and now she watched as Senedra recorded the information from the machines monitoring Adam onto the chart she held.

She had been contemplating Adam as she sat silently holding his hand. His behavior over the last four years, the things that he'd said to her both during the month before their wedding, and since they'd gotten married, and the way he'd been acting so unlike himself in recent weeks. She had a strong feeling that there was something important that she just couldn't manage to grasp hold of for some reason.

She also couldn't shake the feeling that the answer was obvious and staring her in the face.

Adam began seizing again and Teela only tightened her grip as the alarms started blaring and the medics rushed in.

Once again she began to think calming thoughts and to focus on Adam and within a short amount of time the seizure stopped.

"I think that whatever it was the Sorceress sent must be helping," Darius commented as he checked the prince's readouts and recorded them on his chart. "That seizure was much shorter than the first."

Teela gave him a wan smile and a nod before turning her attention back to her comatose husband. She caressed the top of his hand with her thumb as she held tightly to his hand and stood to lean over him once more, brushing the hair from his forehead and studying his features intently.

'Please wake up,' she silently pleaded with him.

His eyelids fluttered and he moaned softly before falling silent and still once more.

Teela looked up at Darius to see if he'd noticed and found that he had. He had set the chart down and was now using a pen light to shine into Adam's eyes as he softly called his name and Teela bit her lip as she waited.

Darius put the pen light back into the pocket of the white coat he wore and sighed before picking up a scanner and using it to check Adam's neurological function. "I don't know what caused it, but while he's still unconscious, he's no longer in a coma," he told Teela.

"Thank you," Teela said softly before she sat back down in her chair. She laid her head on the pillow beside Adam's and closed her eyes. She was nearly asleep when she heard a woman's voice in her mind and her eyes snapped open. She frowned when she recognized it as the voice of the sorceress of Castle Grayskull.

_'Teela,'_ she called once again. _'I know you do not care for me, but I have important news about the spell that Prince Adam is under.'_

Teela blinked at this and sat up. _'I'm listening,'_ she replied, hoping that the woman could hear her if she didn't speak aloud.

_'I can hear you,'_ the Sorceress assured her. _'The spell Prince Adam is under can only be broken by you.'_

_'Me,'_ Teela asked in surprise. _'How can that be? I'm not a magic user.'_

_'You are his wife,'_ the Sorceress replied. _'You have more power than you realize.'_

_'How can I break the spell? What do I do?'_ Teela asked.

_'Speak to him as much as you can,'_ the Sorceress told her. _'Tell him how you feel about him and the hopes and dreams you have for your future together; let him know that you're waiting for him to come back to you.'_

_'That's all?'_ she asked skeptically.

_'For now, that is a start,'_ the Sorceress answered.

_'What does that mean?'_ Teela asked in confusion, but she received no reply.

Teela sighed in exasperation before she leaned close to Adam and began to speak softly to him once more. "Adam, please fight this spell," she said to him. "Everyone is so terribly worried about you and the whole kingdom is concerned... your parents are in the throne room right now holding audience with all of the citizens that have come to give you their support; many have brought you gifts. We all need you."

She searched his face for some sign that he'd heard her, but when she didn't find any she bit her top lip before speaking again. "I need you Adam," she told him. "I don't want to be the princess if you're not here with me; we've always done everything together our whole lives. Well, that is until I joined the royal guard and you started acting oddly. But even when I was your bodyguard we did most things together. Remember when my father sent us to gather verlaberries and you fell into the bushes and got all scratched up by the thorns? I tried to rescue you and I ended up in there with you and we were both miserable for days afterward. Darius was so angry with us both," she chuckled slightly.

She again looked up at him for any sign that he was waking up and sighed softly when she saw nothing had changed.

"Adam," she whispered as she concentrated on his features, "please wake up. I love you and I want you here with me."

Adam's eyelids fluttered and Teela smiled.

"That's it Adam," she encouraged, "fight this spell." She kissed his lips softly and then pulled back. "I know you can break this spell; come back to us."

Adam moaned slightly and moved his head.

"That's it my love," she said quietly before she leaned forward to kiss him again. "Wake up; you can do it. Please open your eyes and talk to me."

Adam's eyelids continued to move and he'd occasionally let out a soft moan as Teela kept encouraging him with soft words and kisses.

After nearly half an hour had passed, Adam finally opened his eyes and blinked at Teela before he frowned deeply in confusion.

"Who are you?" he asked.

**I know, I'm evil, but I'll do my best to get another chapter out soon! ;-)**


	18. The Spell

**Thank you, as always, for the wonderful feedback! I really appreciate it! All mistakes are mine, as this hasn't been beta'd and I don't own anything but my original characters. Enjoy!**

Teela pulled away and her eyes got a little watery as she stared at Adam in shock. "What do you mean, 'who am I'?" she asked in disbelief. "Adam, that isn't funny!"

Adam blinked and then his face took on an expression of panic. "Why can't I move?" he asked.

"You've been restrained," she replied. "You've had a couple of seizures."

Darius entered Adam's room and let out a small cry when he saw Adam was awake. "Why didn't you call for me?" he asked Teela in annoyance.

"He just woke up," she explained. "He says he doesn't remember me."

"What?" Darius asked as he reached Adam's bed and looked at the frightened prince. "It's going to be all right my boy; I just need you to remain calm and answer a few questions. Can you tell me your name?"

"Adam," he replied in what sounded more like a question.

"Do you know who I am?" Darius asked.

"I'd guess that you're the physician taking care of me," he answered.

"You really don't remember who that is?" he asked, indicating Teela.

Adam looked at her apologetically and shook his head slowly to indicate a negative response.

"What, exactly, do you remember?" Darius asked as he released the energy restraints and began to exam him.

"Actually, not a thing," he responded. "I only know my name is Adam because that's what she," here he looked at Teela, "called me when she told me that it wasn't funny when I asked her who she was." He looked a bit panicked once more as he looked at the healer. "If you removed the restraints, why am I still unable to move?"

"One thing at a time," Darius told him calmly. "I need to know anything you remember at all, no matter how small it may seem. You obviously remember how to talk, is there anything else?"

"If I could move, I think I could remember how to walk," Adam grimaced. "I can remember how to feed myself and~" he colored slightly as he again glanced at Teela, "use the latrine. But I don't remember any faces or names. I don't know where I am, other than to guess that I'm in an infirmary somewhere. I have no idea where I come from or who my parents are..." He frowned in concentration. "Is my mother a beautiful woman with white wings and a bird-like headdress?"

Teela blinked and then frowned. "No," she said flatly. "Why would you think that?"

"Because I have this vision of her in my mind and I know that I care very much for her... as a mother or a very dear friend," he said quietly. "She seems very lonely," he said softly.

Teela looked surprised at this, but before she could reply, Darius spoke.

"You, my boy, are Prince Adam and this is your wife, Princess Teela," he told him. "Your parents are King Randor and Queen Marlena and I need to have someone send for them to let them know you are awake. I'll be back to do a thorough examination in a few minutes."

As soon as he was out the door Adam looked at Teela. "You're my wife?"

"Yes," Teela said with a small blush. "We've been married for just over two months now."

"How did we meet?" he asked and tilted his head.

"We grew up together," Teela told him. "My father is the king's man-at-arms and you and I have known each other our whole lives."

"Childhood sweethearts, eh?" he asked with a grin.

Teela looked down at this and sighed before shaking her head. "No... it's kind of a long and complicated story."

"I'm not going anywhere," he deadpanned.

Teela bit her lip and debated whether or not to tell him everything. She was saved from replying when Darius bustled back into the room with Senedra and Malivar. "We need to run some tests on you, Prince Adam, to try to find out why you're paralyzed," he said. "Your parents are in the throne room and will be here shortly so I want to be finished before they return."

Teela moved back to her chair and took Adam's hand in hers once again while the healers worked. She smiled at Adam when he turned his head to look at her before she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

Adam smiled at her before turning his attention to the physicians once more.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

King Randor and Queen Marlena stood abruptly when the messenger arrived with the news that Adam was awake.

"Everyone is dismissed until tomorrow morning," Randor said. "We must go to see Prince Adam immediately."

There was a ripple of surprise through the crowd as the king and queen hurried from the throne room and through the corridors towards the infirmary with Man-at-Arms following behind at a clipped pace.

They burst into Adam's room and stopped short as they saw the healers all working in quiet efficiency.

"Darius, we received word that Adam's awake?" Randor inquired.

Darius hurried across the room and spoke to them quietly. "Yes, he's awake, but he's paralyzed from the neck down. He can turn his head and speak, but he cannot move. Considering that he has full feeling in all of his body, I don't understand the paralysis; I can only guess it is a part of whatever spell he's under that initially rendered him unconscious."

"May we see him?" Marlena asked anxiously.

"Yes," Darius replied, "but you should also know that he has no memory of who he is, where he's from or who anyone else is."

"What?" Randor asked in obvious shock. "Surely he'll remember us."

Darius shook his head sadly. "He didn't even remember Princess Teela, Sire, and she's his wife."

Marlena leaned into her husband as she placed a hand over her mouth.

"Perhaps seeing his parents may jog his memory," Duncan suggested gently with a look at Darius.

"Perhaps," Darius agreed cautiously, "but you need to be prepared in case it doesn't."

"We understand, Darius," Randor said softly. "We'd like to see our son."

Darius nodded his consent and turned to lead them to the prince's bedside where Teela was still sitting in the chair holding his hand. "Prince Adam," he said to the young man, "this is your father and mother, King Randor and Queen Marlena."

"Hello," Adam said softly as he studied each of their faces hoping to remember something, anything, about them or who he was.

"Adam," Marlena said as she leaned forward and kissed his forehead. "I love you," she told him with a smile. "I know you don't remember us, but you will. You just concentrate on getting well."

"I will Mother," he said with a small smile in return.

"Son," Randor said as Marlena stepped back and he moved into Adam's line of sight. "Your mother's right; you need to concentrate on getting well again."

Adam gave him a tight smile, confused by the sudden, overwhelming feelings of anger he felt towards the man in front of him. Why would he feel this way about his own father? "Yes Father," he nodded.

Randor nodded and stepped out of the way as Marlena rolled her eyes at him and pulled up the chair on the opposite side of the bed from Teela and took his other hand.

"I've run all the tests and can find no physical reason for you to be unable to move or for your loss of memory, Highness," Darius told the prince. "I can only guess that it has something to do with the spell that was cast upon you which caused you to fall into a coma in the first place."

"Someone cast a spell on me?" Adam asked in confusion. "Who?"

"We do not know," Duncan said. "We're looking into the matter now."

Adam looked blankly at Man-at-Arms and Teela squeezed his hand.

"That's my father," she told him. "His name is Duncan, but most everyone calls him Man-at-Arms."

Adam nodded and looked at him once again. "Thank you Sir," he said.

Duncan blinked and then nodded.

"What's the name of our kingdom?" Adam asked. "If we are the royal family, what's the name of the place that we rule over?"

"It's called Eternia," Marlena told him with a smile. "It's also the name of our planet."

"We rule the entire planet?" Adam asked in amazement.

"No Son," Randor said. "Just the land of Eternia. There are other kingdoms on the planet; ours is but one of them."

"What are some of the others?" he asked, still unsure of the level of rage he felt towards his father, but doing his best to suppress it so as not to cause a scene.

"Well, there is Avion, Adreenos, Caligar, Spelea, Aragnor... just to name a few," Randor replied. "We are~" he broke off as Adam began to suddenly convulse once again and everyone quickly moved out of the way as Darius rushed over and activated the energy restraints to keep him from harming himself.

Teela continued to hold his hand and watch him worriedly, biting her lip to keep from crying.

After several minutes, Adam finally lay perfectly still again and Darius checked him over before sighing softly.

"I'm afraid he's fallen unconscious once again," he told them, "and his fever has spiked once more."

"Is he in a coma?" Duncan asked.

Darius shook his head. "Not at this time."

"Let's hope he doesn't slip into one again," Duncan said quietly as he watched Queen Marlena wrap her arms around her husband's waist and place her head against his chest.

"I don't know what this spell is doing to him," Darius told them all, "so I don't really know the proper way to treat him. We need to find out if there's a way to break this spell."

Teela looked up from where she'd been studying Adam's face. Frowning, she stood and leaned forward to kiss Adam softly before she looked at everyone in the room. "I'm going to Castle Grayskull," she said determinedly. "The Sorceress told me earlier that I am the only one who can break this spell, so I thought when he woke up that my efforts to do what she'd told me to had worked. Obviously I was wrong. I need to speak to her face to face and get some answers."

"I'll go with you," her father said.

Teela paused a moment before finally nodding.

As soon as King Randor had given them permission to leave, they headed out to the hangar bay and climbed aboard a wind raider to head for Castle Grayskull.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teela strode purposefully across the drawbridge as soon as it opened and then made her way into the castle, calling out for the sorceress and ignoring her father as he hurried behind her.

"I know why you have come," the Sorceress' voice came from seemingly all around them causing Teela to stop walking.

"Where are you?" Teela demanded. "I want to see you."

"Teela," Man-at-arms began, but broke off when the Sorceress floated towards them and landed a few feet away.

Teela looked closely at the woman that had been such a mystery for the last several years and she wondered why she seemed so familiar to her. "You told me that I'm the only one who can break the spell that's on Adam," she said. "What did you mean when you said that I'm his wife and I have more power than I realize? I did what you said and he woke up for a short time, but he didn't remember anything and now he's fallen unconscious again. How can I break this spell?" she asked desperately.

"Teela, I realize that you are worried about your husband but you must calm yourself if you are to be of any help to him," the Sorceress said in a level tone. "You did do the right thing to get him to wake up; I'm afraid it was his father's presence that caused him to relapse. The memory loss is but a part of the spell; when the spell is completely broken, his memories will return."

"How could his father's presence cause a relapse?" Duncan asked with a scowl.

"Prince Adam has a great deal of unresolved anger and resentment toward his father," she replied. "His father's presence caused him to feel those emotions very strongly both times that he was around him and caused his blood pressure to rise, which then made his fever spike, leading to the convulsions that rendered him unconscious."

"So we have to keep the king away from him?" Man-at-arms asked with wide eyes. "That isn't going to go over very well with Randor."

"Adam needs to work through his feelings and he and his father need to come to a resolution," she replied. "It is not healthy for either of them to continue on this way. Teela may be the one that can break the spell, but King Randor can help by reassuring his son of his love and support."

"What can I do to break the spell? I don't understand," Teela said in exasperation.

"The spell is twofold," the Sorceress replied. "The first part attacks him physically causing a high fever which then causes the convulsions and renders him unconscious. The second part attacks him emotionally and triggers the physical responses. He needs to know how you feel about him; that you love him and that you have hopes and dreams for the life the two of you can have together. He needs to know that you didn't marry him just out of a sense of duty to save the crown prince." She paused and her eyes grew distant for a moment before she sighed and looked at them sadly. "I'm afraid that Prince Adam has fallen into a coma once more. It won't be easy for you to break the spell, Teela, but you must keep trying; the fate of Eternia depends on it."

"What do you mean?" Teela asked with wide eyes as the Sorceress began to float away. "How can the fate of Eternia depend on my breaking the spell? Is it because Adam is the future king?"

Man-at-arms placed a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "She can't tell you anymore or she would," he sighed. "We need to get back to the palace."

They were nearly to the drawbridge when the voice of the Sorceress stopped them.

"Teela," she said gently, "do not neglect your own health and needs in your efforts to save Prince Adam; you cannot help your husband if you fall ill yourself."

Teela sighed and nodded. "I understand," she said as the drawbridge lowered and she and her father left the castle once more.


	19. Just In Case

**I managed to get another chapter out for you and I'm going to TRY to get one more before the craziness of next weekend, but I can't make any promises. I'm working looong days next week to prepare for the major sales events on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, in addition to working both of those days as well. I will write as I have time and energy, though! Thanks for all of the great feedback~ you are keeping me motivated! You're all awesome! Enjoy...**

Man-at-arms and Teela returned to the palace and made their way back to the infirmary where they told everyone what the Sorceress had told them. Duncan had told Teela on the way back that he would speak privately with the king and queen regarding what the Sorceress had said about Adam's anger towards his father.

"Don't worry," Teela said to the queen as she gave her hand a gentle squeeze, "I won't give up until the spell is broken."

"What if he doesn't live long enough for you to break the spell?" Darius asked gently. "We don't know what the spell is doing to his body and I'm not sure I can keep him alive long enough for you to break it. Prince Adam is the only heir to the throne..."

"Unless there's some chance that you might be with child?" King Randor asked Teela with a hopeful expression.

Teela blushed and shifted uncomfortably as she shook her head. "I'm sorry," she replied, "but I know for sure that I'm not."

"It's all right dear," Marlena said with a small smile. "You've only been married for two months."

"Darius," Randor said as he gave Teela and the others an apologetic look, "is there possibly a way for you to..." he paused and cleared his throat before continuing. "What I mean is, should Adam take a turn for the worse, is there a way that you could help Teela to conceive a child without Adam's, er, participation?"

Teela's eyes widened in shock and she took an involuntary step back. "What?"

Darius nodded slowly. "As a last resort, yes," he replied, "we could take Adam's sperm and use it to inseminate the princess."

Marlena glared at the men as she moved to take Teela into her arms. "Stop it!" she insisted. "You are talking as if he's never going to wake up. Teela will break the spell and Adam will be back with us just as good as new and he and Teela will decide when to add to their family."

"Marlena, darling, we might not have time to~" King Randor began, but he was cut off by his wife.

"Don't!" she said angrily. "Don't try to placate me, Randor."

King Randor sighed and nodded. "All right," he said softly. He decided he would speak to Darius about it in private at a later time.

"I think we should leave Teela alone with Adam so she can start trying to break the spell," Marlena said softly. She hugged the young woman to her and then kissed her cheek. "I know you'll do your best," she told her quietly.

"I promise," Teela nodded as her mother-in-law released her and they all left the room. She moved to Adam's bedside and leaned over to brush his hair from his forehead before she kissed him tenderly on the lips. "Adam," she said quietly, "please fight this spell. I love you and I want you here with me; please don't leave me."

She watched his face for any sign of change for several moments before she sighed and took her seat beside his bed, taking his hand in hers once again and placing her head beside his on his pillow.

"I went to see the sorceress of Castle Grayskull because she contacted me telepathically earlier to tell me that I'm the only one that can break this spell on you," she told him. "I wanted to know what she meant by that. She said it's because I'm your wife, but I have the distinct feeling that there's something she isn't telling me; something important. You know it's the first time I've ever seen her face to face? Even that time she gave me her blood, I didn't get to see her. She seems really familiar to me, though, for some reason. Maybe it's because she gave me her blood before; do you think that's it?"

She kissed his cheek and sighed once more before continuing to speak.

"The Sorceress told me then that she gave me her blood because she was the only one that could," Teela told him. "I was sure that I sensed she wanted me to have the telepathic powers that I got as a result of the transfusion, but she said it was a mistake. I'm not sure I believe her, though. She also said that she gave me life, again... what do you suppose she meant by that? I hate that she seems to speak in riddles and doesn't come straight out to tell you what she means. You seemed to know her; does she do that with you, too? I really wish you would wake up so we could talk about this."

Teela's eyes began to get heavy and she started to doze off. She was nearly asleep when Darius came in and roused her, telling her that he'd had a meal sent up from the kitchen and then she was going to sleep in the extra bed he was having brought in.

After eating the meal and changing into the long nightgown the nurse brought to her, Teela pushed her bed closer to Adam's and turned off the energy restraints so that she could scoot close to him. She wrapped her arms around him and placed her head on his chest before sighing.

"You need to wake up and get better so we can sleep like this every night," she said softly as she leaned up enough to kiss him tenderly. "This is much nicer than the way we usually sleep; with our backs to one another. I love you, you know."

Placing her head back on his chest, she smiled and closed her eyes.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teela remained by Adam's side almost constantly for the next two and a half weeks as he continued in a coma and she would talk to him just as the Sorceress had told her to. She took breaks for meals and to bathe and dress in clean clothes every day and, at Queen Marlena's insistence, she took a walk outside in the royal gardens every afternoon to get some sunlight and fresh air.

She would talk to him about everything she could think of. The weather, the latest court gossip, treaties between Eternia and other kingdoms. At night, she would push her bed beside his and curl up next to him, holding him in her arms. Whatever the medicine was the Sorceress had sent with her father, it was working to keep his fever down and to keep him from having any more seizures.

As she returned from her walk that afternoon, she decided to tell him about a conversation she'd had with Mekaneck just before she'd left the royal gardens.

"I'm back," she said as she leaned forward and kissed him tenderly. "I ran into Mekaneck as I was crossing the courtyard and he was telling me about the new Masters, Vloren and Jevren. Vloren is over eight feet tall and he is a powerful warrior. Mek says that he takes on Skeletor's goons with no problem. He apparently has trained in many different combat styles and can use a number of different weapons."

She paused for a moment and took his hand in hers, kissing his knuckles and then caressing his face with her palm before continuing. "He also said that Jevren is pretty amazing, too. She can hold her own against Evil-Lyn in a duel of magic and he said that the two of them have actually had a hand-to-hand combat battle and Jevren kicked Evil-Lyn's butt," she smiled at this and sighed. "I miss being a part of the fighting sometimes. Not because I like to fight, but because I hate that others have to risk their lives to protect us. You know something really odd? Mekaneck says He-Man hasn't been seen at all in the last few weeks. He asked my father about it, but he just said that he's unavailable at the moment so it's up to the Masters to take up the slack. Where do you think He-Man could have gone?"

She sighed softly once more and climbed up onto his bed with him, wrapping an arm around him and pillowing her head against his shoulder.

"I really wish you would wake up, you know," she said softly. "Your father is worried that you're not going to survive so he's trying to convince Darius that he should have me inseminated with your sperm so that we can produce an heir. I don't want to have your child without your... participation... as your father calls it. Thank the Ancients your mother has been able to keep him from making it an order so far. I really don't want Darius to do an exam and find out we've never even consummated our marriage; that would be so embarrassing, not to mention I don't know how your father might react."

She moved so that she was leaning over him and began to lightly kiss his face. She kissed his forehead and eyes, then moved down to kiss the tip of his nose before kissing each cheek. She briefly kissed his lips and then his jaw before moving back to kiss his lips once more.

"I love you," she said softly. "I've been thinking about the things we've talked about and I've decided that it doesn't matter to me what your secret is or that you can't tell me where you run off to. I believed you when you told me you weren't having an affair with anyone, too. I'm sorry I was such a shrew... please wake up, Adam."

Half an hour later she was nearly asleep when she heard a noise and felt Adam move slightly.

"T... Teela?" she heard the soft rasp of his voice. Jerking her head up, she moved so she could see his face.

"Adam?" she questioned. "Come on, open your eyes; please wake up."

Adam's eyelids fluttered slightly and she leaned forward to kiss him.

"That's it," she encouraged, "open your eyes."

Adam slowly opened his eyes and blinked at her before he frowned in obvious confusion. "Teela?" he rasped again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Teela smiled widely and nodded. "It's me," she said in relief.

"Wh~ What happened?" he asked.

"I have to get Darius, but I'll be right back to answer your questions," she said as she quickly moved off of the bed and ran to the door. "Get Darius, quickly," she said to the startled nurse outside the door. "Prince Adam's awake!"

The nurse blinked and nodded before hurrying down the corridor and Teela returned to Adam's side, taking his hand and leaning forward to kiss him softly.

"Are you still with us?" she asked quietly. "Adam?"

Adam blinked his eyes before opening them fully once more and nodding. "What's going on?" he said in a whisper.

Darius burst through the door before she could respond and hurried over to the bed. He saw Adam frown in his direction and immediately pulled out a scanner and began to check him over. "How do you feel Your Highness?" he asked.

"Stiff," Adam rasped as he moved his head slowly from side to side. "Sore... confused. What's happened?" he asked again.

A nurse brought over a cup of water and Darius helped him to sit up slightly. "Sip it," he commanded. "You've been in a coma for over two weeks, so you're going to have to take things slowly."

Adam took a few small sips of the water and then shook his head and pushed it away.

"Someone put a spell on you that caused you to go into a coma," Teela told him gently as she continued to hold his hand.

Adam blinked and then frowned slightly. "Who?"

Teela sighed. "We're not entirely sure," she replied. "We think we know who the person was that did it, but we don't know his name, where he came from or why he would do this. The Sorceress of Grayskull is looking into it and hopes to find some answers."

Adam was about to say something else when Darius interrupted.

"Prince Adam, can you move?" he asked.

Adam frowned once more in confusion and nodded.

"Please move your feet and legs for me," Darius said as he pulled the covers away from him and watched as the prince complied. "Now your hands and arms," he said and nodded when Adam did as he asked. "Now I'm going to ask you some questions and I need you to answer them for me. Can you tell me who this is?" he asked, indicating Teela.

"Teela," he replied.

"How is she related to you?" Darius asked.

Adam smiled slightly and gave Teela a questioning look. "She's my wife."

Darius smiled and nodded. "Who are your parents?"

"King Randor and Queen Marlena," he replied, raising both eyebrows. "Why are you asking me these things?"

"Because when you briefly woke up from your coma two and a half weeks ago, you had no memory and you were paralyzed," Darius told him. "You don't remember that?"

Adam's brow creased in concentration and he slowly shook his head. "No... I'm afraid I don't."

Darius just nodded at this and patted his knee before he covered him back up. "That's okay. I'm going to go inform your parents that you're awake."

"I woke up once before?" he asked Teela once Darius was gone.

Teela nodded. "The same day you fell into the coma, you woke up for a short period of time," she told him. "You had no memory and were paralyzed from the neck down. You had a seizure and fell unconscious and a bit later you slipped back into the coma."

Adam nodded and looked at their joined hands. "I... I seem to remember you being here with me the whole time," he said quietly, "and you kept talking to me?"

"Yes," she said just as quietly. "The Sorceress told me that I was the only one who could break the spell and that I needed to keep talking to you."

Adam's eyes widened and he sat up abruptly. "I've been in a coma for over two weeks?" he asked in a panic. "Who's been protecting Castle Grayskull?"

Teela looked at him oddly at the tone to his question, as if his not being there was somehow of vital importance, and she grasped his arms and gently pushed him back into his pillows as she answered. "My father and the Masters have."

Adam relaxed marginally and nodded.

"It's a good thing that Prince Vlacan sent us his two best warriors from Aragnor when he did, too," she told him as she handed him the cup of water for him to sip some more. "He-Man hasn't been around for a few weeks for some reason and their help has been invaluable."

Adam smiled tightly and nodded before shaking his head when she tried to get him to drink more water. He frowned slightly and squinted at Teela. "I thought you said something about having an heir... but that's not possible as far as I remember. I must have been dreaming."

Teela blushed and shook her head. "Your father asked Darius if it was possible for him to help me to conceive a child without your... participation... as he calls it, just in case you took a turn for the worse. They wanted to make sure that there would be an heir to the throne. I've objected to the idea from the very beginning and, fortunately for me, so has your mother. She's kept him from making it an order. That's what I was talking to you about just before you woke up. If we have a child, it should be because it's what we both want, not because everyone thinks you're going to die and we need an heir," she said with a small frown.

"Given that I nearly did die, I think there's going to be some pressure on us to produce one quickly," Adam sighed. "I had hoped we would have at least a year before we had to deal with that."

"Let's make sure you're completely free of the spell and are well enough before we worry about it," Teela told him.

"Just in case I'm not," Adam said as he took her hand, "you need to do whatever is necessary to insure that our family line continues. Okay?"

Teela's eyes widened and her face turned bright red. "Adam~"

"Please promise me Tee," he said softly as he looked at her intently.

Teela bit her bottom lip before nodding. "I promise."


	20. Recovery

**Thank you to those that have reviewed! I appreciate it! I got this chapter out just in case I won't have time to write anymore after the nightmare of Christmas in retail truly begins. Enjoy it and let me know what you think!**

"Thank you," Adam sighed in relief. "I know it might be awkward for you, but if something were to happen to me before I had an heir the kingdom would be in an uproar. If I fall unconscious again or if something worse happens to me, I want you to allow Darius to collect my sperm so that you can have a child and give the kingdom the heir that it needs."

"Now that the spell is broken we can talk about when we want to work on that for ourselves," Teela said with a slight blush, "without any medical assistance. I still don't feel ready to be a mother, but if you feel it's important enough I'm willing to do it anyway."

Adam raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity. "Because it's our duty?"

Teela frowned slightly. "Adam... before all of this happened you asked me that same question. Why?"

Adam looked away and sighed. "I heard you tell He-Man that you only married me because it was your duty to save my life in whatever way you could during our wedding celebration. I had to go to the lavatory and He-Man came to offer his congratulations. You told him that you only married me to save my life~ because it was your duty as my bodyguard."

Teela thought back to that day and the conversation with He-Man and she bit her bottom lip as she looked at him. "I'm sorry if that's what you thought I meant... Adam, I was a nervous wreck that day and felt completely overwhelmed. I was joking with He-Man because, at that point, I wasn't sure how he felt about me or even how I felt about everything that had happened. I'm afraid it didn't come out the way I intended it to. I~" she paused and took a deep breath, summoning her courage before she looked him in the eyes and caressed his cheek. "I love you. Not just as my best friend, but as a wife should love her husband. The Sorceress said in order to break the spell on you I had to tell you how I felt about you and tell you about my hopes and dreams for our future together."

"That's what you've been telling me these last couple of weeks?" he asked in surprise.

"Mostly," Teela nodded. "I would also tell you what was going on in the palace, in Eternos and whatever else I could find to talk to you about. It's very tedious having a one-sided conversation, you know."

Adam grinned. "I can imagine. So what, exactly, did you say to me when you told me about your hopes and dreams for our future?"

Teela blushed again and looked down before shyly meeting his eyes again. "That I was looking forward to having children with you and making a life with you as your wife. I think that we can do a lot of good for Eternia if we set our minds to it and I also think we can be amazing as a couple if we are open and honest with one another." She smiled wistfully. "I want us to have a marriage like your parents have," she said softly. "I never knew my own parents; I don't even know if they were married to one another, but I've always admired your parents for their relationship with one another."

Adam smiled and tugged slightly on her hand. "C'mere," he said quietly.

Teela moved so that she was sitting on the bed facing him and looked at him expectantly. "What is it?" she asked.

Adam sat up gingerly and cupped her cheek in his palm. "I'm going to kiss my wife," he said with a raised eyebrow, "if that's okay with her?"

Teela licked her lips as she turned slightly pink once again and nodded.

Adam leaned in and kissed her gently at first. When he sensed that she was responding, he wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss.

Teela wrapped her arms around Adam and gave herself over to the kiss they shared. They parted slightly for a brief moment to catch their breath and then came together again in an explosion of passion as they both reveled in the sensations their kiss was creating within them.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Darius met King Randor and Queen Marlena as they entered the infirmary and filled them in on Prince Adam's condition.

"So Teela has succeeded in breaking the spell?" King Randor asked.

"It appears so," Darius replied carefully, "but I have no way of telling for sure. Perhaps the sorceress of Castle Grayskull can tell us whether or not he's completely free of it."

King Randor looked at Man-at-Arms with a questioning look.

"I will head over to Grayskull to speak with her just as soon as I see Adam and Teela, Sire," he said.

_'That is not necessary Duncan,'_ the Sorceress spoke to him telepathically. _'I have been watching since Prince Adam awakened and I can assure you that he is completely free of the spell. It is my duty to keep watch over the champion of Castle Grayskull and his health is of vital concern to me.'_

_'What about his anger toward his father?'_ Duncan asked her. _'If he sees Randor it won't trigger the spell again will it?'_

_'That is something that still needs to be addressed, but at a later time,'_ she answered. _'For now, Teela has broken the spell and Adam will not relapse if he sees his father.'_

_'Thank you, Sorceress,'_ Duncan replied and then he felt her presence withdraw from his mind. He looked at the others and realized they were all looking at him oddly. "The Sorceress just contacted me telepathically and informed me that Adam is, indeed, completely free of the spell that had attacked him. I would say that in a few days he should be entirely back to his old self."

Randor pursed his lips and nodded. "Thank you, Duncan," he replied. "Please thank the Sorceress for us, as well, the next time you speak with her."

"Yes, Sire," Duncan nodded.

"May we go in and see Adam now?" Queen Marlena asked anxiously. "I need to see my child."

"Marlena, he's twenty years old," Randor said with a shake of his head. "I would hardly call him a child."

Marlena glared at him. "I gave birth to him; he will always be my child, no matter how old he gets," she insisted. "Let me see my son."

Darius unconsciously took a step back and nodded to the king.

Randor inclined his head towards Adam's door and Darius opened the door and led them all through it. They all stopped and looked at one another when they saw Adam and Teela locked in a passionate kiss.

Duncan and Randor looked a bit uncomfortable, but Marlena and Darius were smiling slightly as Randor cleared his throat.

"I'm afraid it will be a few days before you're ready to resume intimacy Prince Adam," Darius declared as he moved toward him.

Adam and Teela broke apart as if burned and looked at each other with wide eyes and bright red faces.

"Sorry," Adam said.

"No reason to be sorry my boy," Darius said with a small smile. "She is your wife, after all."

"I was saying 'sorry' to Teela," Adam clarified.

Teela gave him a grin and winked at him. "I'm not," she responded.

Adam smiled widely and relaxed.

"How are you feeling?" his mother asked as she moved to the opposite side of the bed Teela was sitting on and took his hand.

"Stiff and sore," he replied.

"That's because you've been in bed for over two weeks," Darius told him. "We're going to try to get you something to eat first~ something light and soft to start~ and then we'll get you up and moving around a little bit after that. When I'm sure you can make it to the lavatory and back on your own I'll remove the catheter."

Adam grimaced slightly and nodded.

"Adam," King Randor said, "do you remember what happened before you had your first seizure and fell unconscious? Do you know who put this spell on you?"

Adam's eyes flicked to Man-at-Arms and he knew he had to tread carefully here. "I remember that odd man~ the one that tried to kill me the morning after our wedding~ holding a stone up and then everything went black. When I woke up I felt sore, but otherwise okay. But I don't remember anything after that."

Adam looked at Man-at-Arms, who gave him a small nod of approval. "Who was that guy anyway?" he asked to change the subject.

"We're not entirely sure," Man-at-Arms answered. "The only thing we _are_ sure of is that he is completely insane. He won't speak to us, he only keeps muttering that he succeeded in killing the prince and everything is set right once again."

Adam frowned in confusion. "I wonder what he means by that?"

"We don't know," Randor sighed in frustration, "but unless we can find a way to find out who he is, we may never know the answer to that or who he is and where he comes from."

Adam suddenly yawned and then frowned. "I'm sorry; I don't know how I can possibly feel tired when I've spent two weeks asleep."

"You were in a coma," Darius corrected, "it's a different kind of sleeping. Everyone needs to leave for now and you can come back later this evening."

"Not Teela," Adam said, taking his wife's hand. "I want her to stay with me."

Teela gave him a shy smile and nodded.

"All right," Darius groused.

"We'll see you later," Queen Marlena said as she leaned forward to kiss Adam's forehead. "We love you."

Randor, Marlena and Duncan silently left the room and Darius looked at him critically. "Why don't you take a nap and then I'll have some food brought in for you in a couple of hours? After that, we'll try to get you out of that bed and walking around a bit."

Adam yawned once more and nodded as he moved so that he was lying down once more.

Teela moved back to the chair beside the bed as Darius quietly left the room.

"Teela?" Adam called softly.

"Hmm?" she responded.

"Would you mind coming up here and lying with me while I sleep?"

Teela smiled and stood, slipping her shoes off as Adam scooted over and then she crawled under the covers with him so that she was facing him. She put her arm around his middle and her head on his shoulder as she had every night for the last two plus weeks.

Adam wrapped his arms around her and smiled slightly. "This is much nicer than the way we've been sleeping since we got married."

Teela just grinned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Three days later Adam was released from the infirmary back to the suite he shared with Teela. As he and Teela walked through the corridors of the palace arm in arm people began to whisper excitedly and many came up to tell him how happy they were to see him alive and well.

When they reached their suite and closed the door, Adam went and sat on the sofa in their sitting room and sighed softly. "Is it okay if I just never leave this suite again?"

Teela chuckled slightly and shook her head slowly. "Absolutely not," she replied. "I am not going to Aragnor by myself."

Adam groaned. "I almost wish Darius hadn't given me a clean bill of health."

Teela rolled her eyes at him and sat beside him on the sofa, curling into his side as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "At least we no longer have to go to Avion or Adreenos," she said. "Your father sent Lord Corvoran."

Adam hummed noncommittally.

After a few minutes of silence Adam rubbed Teela's arm lightly and sighed.

"Now that we're really alone," he began, "we need to talk."

Teela nodded. "About consummating our marriage and having a baby..."

"Yes," Adam replied. "I know you aren't ready to have a baby yet," he said.

"It's not just pregnancy and delivery that worries me," she said softly. "I'm afraid of what kind of mother I'll be. I've never had a mother of my own as a role model and, while I love my father dearly, he isn't the motherly type. I know he loves me, but displays of affection are few and far between and you have to admit he is a bit stern. Not to mention he's more than a bit driven and often single-minded. Those can all be good traits, but I admit there were times growing up when I envied you for the affection your mother showed you... the hugs and kisses and times of just being held. What if I'm terrible at being a mother?"

"You won't be," Adam assured her.

"How do you know?" she asked.

"Because all you have to do is remember the things you wanted from your own mother as a child and provide them to ours and you'll be wonderful," he said as he hugged her to him.

Teela nodded but didn't speak.

"I would say we probably have a few more months~ four at most~ before my father starts putting real pressure on us," he told her. "We can wait until then before we consummate the marriage so that we don't risk you getting pregnant, but we won't be able to put him off too much longer than that before he starts wanting Darius to get involved."

"You don't mind waiting that long?" Teela questioned as she looked up at him in surprise.

"I love you," he told her. "I can wait a few more months if it means that you'll be comfortable enough to relax and enjoy the experience."

"That means a lot to me Adam," Teela said as she turned so that she was lying half over him. Cupping his cheek in her palm she moved up so that she could kiss him and before long they were in caught up in the passion of their kisses.

After a few minutes of this Adam pulled away and rested his forehead on hers. "If we're going to wait to consummate the marriage we'd better stop this now," he said.

"Why?" Teela asked.

"Because you have no idea what kissing you does to me," he answered with a smile. "Let me up; I need to go get something for you."

Teela moved out of his way and watched as he stood and went into their bedroom before returning a few moments later with a book. He handed it to her and she looked at him questioningly.

"Before our wedding I was worried about our wedding night," he told her. "So I went to see Darius to ask him my questions and, after he answered the questions I had for him, he gave me that book. I've read it so many times I think I have it memorized, but maybe it will help prepare you for what to expect when we finally decide to become intimate. Darius said he gives it to all of his young men and women who have questions or are nervous about their wedding nights."

Teela opened the book and began thumbing through it, pausing every now and then to read something. Her eyes suddenly grew wide and she slammed the book shut as her face turned bright red. "Adam!"


	21. Arrival in Aragnor

**Hello at last! Well, I survived the Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday sales and have been ridiculously busy not only at work, but in preparing for Christmas. We do a lot of baking/cooking this time of year and when you throw shopping for gifts into the mix it makes for zero free time to write! I finally have a full day off and managed to get a chapter finished. I can't promise regular updates for the foreseeable future, but I promise to do my best. _Thank you all for your encouraging words!_ It is keeping me motivated. For the sake of this story, no form of birth control currently exists on Eternia. Work with me, people! ;-) LOL! Enjoy... **

Adam held his arm out for Teela as they stepped off the transport in the capital city of Vlystagna in the kingdom of Aragnor and they were greeted by Prince Vlacan and his parents, King Vlancar and Queen Elevren, as well as several members of their court.

"Welcome Prince Adam and Princess Teela of Eternia," Prince Vlacan said with a short bow.

Adam inclined his head as Teela gave a small curtsey.

"We thank you for inviting us," Adam replied.

"Father, Mother, this is Prince Adam of Eternia and his beautiful wife, Princess Teela," Vlacan said, introducing them. "Prince Adam, Princess Teela, this is King Vlancar and Queen Elevren."

Adam bowed formally and Teela curtsied to the king and queen. "Your majesties," Adam said, "we thank you for allowing us to visit your kingdom and welcoming us into your home."

"The pleasure is ours Prince Adam," King Vlancar replied with a smile. "Welcome to Vlystagna."

Vlacan noticed the beautiful young woman standing behind Teela who had remained silent, but had curtsied appropriately each time Teela had. "Who, may I ask, is this?" he asked Adam as he smiled broadly at the young lady.

"May I introduce Lady Laraina?" Adam replied. "She is Princess Teela's cousin and is accompanying us at my mother's request to act as lady in waiting. I do hope it's not an inconvenience that we brought her along?"

Prince Vlacan bowed to Laraina and then held his arm out for her. "Not at all," he murmured softly as he gazed at her intensely.

King Vlancar and Queen Elevren looked at one another in surprise and the king smiled. "We welcome you, Lady Laraina," he said to her.

Laraina curtsied to the king and queen once more and bowed her head. "Thank you, your majesties," she said.

"Come; I will show you to your rooms and then you may all take time to rest and freshen up before the banquet we are holding in your honor tonight," Prince Vlacan said. He motioned to a group of people waiting nearby and they immediately moved towards the transport, and the royal guardsmen that had accompanied Prince Adam and Princess Teela, to gather their luggage as Prince Vlacan, still holding Laraina's hand in the crook of his elbow, led them towards the palace.

"How do you like the southern continent so far?" Vlacan asked as they entered the palace proper.

"It's much warmer than Eternia," Adam commented, "but what we have seen is beautiful."

"Our days are longer and our are nights shorter, as well," Vlacan replied. "If you find that your Eternian clothing is too uncomfortable, we can have the palace seamstress and tailor bring you clothing more appropriate for our climate. Anything that you require at all, please let me know and it shall be yours."

"That's very generous of you your highness," Adam said with a smile. "Thank you."

"Please, call me Vlacan," he said. "We are equals and I hate stuffy titles."

Adam chuckled at this. "Then I insist that you call me Adam," he said. "I hate stuffy titles, too."

Teela smiled at her husband and rolled her eyes. "Your palace is beautiful," Teela commented. "The architecture alone is exquisite, but the artwork and tapestries make it even more elegant."

Vlacan nodded slightly and smiled. "The palace was built over a century ago and every queen carefully chooses those that she wants to decorate it. Every tapestry, every piece of artwork, every rug on the floor must be approved by the reigning queen. Fortunately for us, my mother has good taste."

Adam grinned at him as Teela and Laraina laughed softly.

Vlacan looked at Laraina and winked at her before he stopped in front of an ornately carved door. "This will be your suite for the duration of your stay with us," he said as he opened the door and they all entered. "It has three bedrooms, each with their own lavatory and bathing chamber, a small kitchen and dining area and the main sitting room. It also has a meditation room and a study."

Adam and Teela glanced around before smiling at the prince.

"This is wonderful," Teela said. "Thank you."

Vlacan bowed slightly and turned to kiss Laraina's hand. "I do hope to see you at the banquet tonight?"

Laraina curtsied and bowed her head respectfully. "Of course your highness," she replied as she blushed slightly.

"Good," Vlacan smiled. "I shall send a valet to escort you to the banquet hall at the eighteenth hour," he told them all.

"We'll be ready," Adam replied. "Thank you again for everything."

"You are quite welcome," Vlacan said before leaving the suite.

Teela smiled at her cousin broadly. "I think he likes you."

Laraina blushed and ran a hand nervously through her auburn curls. "Which room shall I take?" she asked, changing the subject.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The valet arrived right on time to escort them to the banquet hall and Adam held his arm out for Teela to take and then surprised Laraina by holding out his other arm for her.

Blushing slightly, Laraina accepted his arm and they followed the valet through the palace corridors, admiring the beautiful home of the Aragnorian royal family.

When they arrived at the banquet hall they were presented before the king and queen and Adam bowed while Teela and Laraina curtsied gracefully.

Prince Vlacan stood and moved to where they were, holding his arm out for Laraina as the valet showed Adam and Teela which seats they were to sit in. He led her to the seat beside his own and held her chair for her before sitting in his own seat and smiling at her as a servant began to pour the wine for everyone around the table.

"Prince Adam," King Vlancar said as the servants began to serve their meals, "I was extremely pleased to hear that your father was able to come up with a trade agreement between our two kingdoms that we both could be satisfied with. I look forward to doing business with your kingdom."

"My father was glad that he was able to come up with a trade agreement that you and your kingdom could be content with," Adam smiled. "Prince Vlacan was instrumental in helping to determine the final terms of the accord and my father said it was a pleasure for him to work with such a dedicated and agreeable young man."

King Vlancar looked at his son proudly as he spoke. "I am delighted to hear that."

Adam squelched the pang of jealousy he felt as he saw the way King Vlancar looked at his son with pride and love clearly written on his face. He knew that his own father only reacted the way he did toward him because of the image he allowed him to perceive of him.

Teela took his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze when she saw he suddenly seemed to be a bit melancholy, though she wasn't sure why.

Adam smiled softly at his wife and leaned over to kiss her cheek gently before he returned to his meal.

They talked about the differences in their cultures, weather and clothing styles while they ate and when the meal was finished they listened to a young woman sing a beautiful song about lost love before the musicians began to play and couples took to the dance floor.

Laraina blushed prettily, her golden eyes sparkling, when Prince Vlacan asked her to dance. She accepted gracefully and allowed him to lead her to the center of the ballroom.

Adam looked at Teela with a grin before he stood and bowed, asking her if she would like to dance with him and smiling when she accepted. When they were not far away from Vlacan and Laraina, he took her into his arms and they began to dance.

"I think Prince Vlacan is smitten with your cousin," Adam said quietly to Teela.

Teela smiled as she looked at Laraina and then she leaned closer to Adam. "I think Laraina is just as taken with him."

"Since her father and brothers are not here, I guess it falls to me to be her guardian," Adam said. "Do you think they would mind?"

"Not at all," Teela replied. "You are the crown prince, after all, and I know you will look out for her best interests."

"I will," Adam nodded. "I don't want to see her get hurt, but I have a feeling that Prince Vlacan is an honorable man and will not do anything improper."

"I think you're right," Teela answered. "He seems to be a good man."

When the festivities were over, Prince Vlacan escorted them back to their suite and then asked Adam whether they would like to join him for breakfast or eat in their suite.

Adam looked questioningly at his wife and when she gave him a small smile and nodded, quickly glancing in Laraina's direction, Adam smiled and winked at her before turning to face Vlacan again to answer. "We'd be honored to join you for breakfast."

"Wonderful," Vlacan said, his ice-blue eyes sparkling merrily. "I shall send Vleramar to escort you again in the morning. I hope that you all sleep well; good night."

"Good night," Adam, Teela and Laraina replied as he left.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Laraina," Teela said as she looked at Adam briefly, "I'm going to have some tea; would you like to join me?"

Adam, taking the hint, faked a yawn and leaned down to kiss his wife briefly. "I'm going to go prepare for bed; I'll see you in a little while."

Teela gave him a grateful smile as Laraina agreed to join her for tea and the two women headed toward the small kitchen. Teela moved toward the stove when Laraina insisted that she make the tea and that Teela should sit down at the small table. "Rain, how long have you known me?" Teela asked, even as she sat down.

"Our whole lives," Laraina grinned. "But you're the princess now and I _am_ here as your lady in waiting; the least I can do is make tea."

Teela gave and exaggerated long-suffering sigh and then smiled at her cousin. "So... I think Prince Vlacan really likes you."

Laraina blushed as she filled the tea kettle with water and set it on the stove to heat. "I really like him, too," she said softly. "He has the most amazing eyes and his smile is..." she trailed off and sighed dreamily.

Teela smiled at her cousin. "Since your father and brothers aren't here with us, it falls to Adam to act as your guardian while we are here. Do you have any objections to that?"

Laraina pursed her lips thoughtfully as she poured the hot water into the tea cups and then set the kettle back on the stove before picking up the cups and saucers and setting them on the table. She took a seat and looked at Teela. "I don't, as long as he isn't going to be over-protective. I am a big girl and I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions."

"I'll make sure he understands that," Teela promised.

Laraina nodded and then looked at her cousin. "Things between the two of you seem to be much better. What happened there?"

Teela smiled and sipped her tea. "We both admitted we were in love with one another and began to actually talk to each other."

"So you realized you really were in love with him?" Laraina asked.

Teela nodded. "I know just before the wedding I wasn't sure how I felt about him, but when he nearly died I had to come to terms with my feelings for him and I realized that I really did love him the way a wife should love her husband. When he woke up, we started to actually talk to one another honestly and it has greatly improved our relationship."

"I'm glad to hear that," Laraina replied. "I was pretty worried that you were going to be miserable."

"I'm not," Teela assured her. "We still have our moments of disagreement, but I think that is normal for any couple. And I can tell that Adam really is trying to make me happy and that he loves me. If only he could tell me what his secret is..."

"Secret?" Laraina asked in surprise. "What secret?"

Teela hesitated a moment and then looked at her cousin seriously. "You can't share this with anyone."

"I promise," Laraina nodded slowly.

"Adam... well, everyone knows that he disappears from battles already, but they don't know that he also randomly disappears for hours at a time. He says that he's keeping a promise during those times and that he can't tell anyone what he's doing because he's been sworn to secrecy."

"Sworn by whom?" Laraina asked with wide eyes. "Surely not his father, else he wouldn't treat Prince Adam the way that he does."

"By the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull," Teela said with a slight grimace. "I think he does something important for her, but I..." she trailed off and her eyes grew huge and she suddenly turned very pale.

"Tee?" Laraina asked in alarm as she moved to her side and placed a hand on her arm. "What's wrong?"

Teela took a deep breath. Looking at Laraina, she gave her a small smile. "I'm okay... I just thought of a possible explanation, but I know that it couldn't possibly be that."

"Can't be what?" she asked.

Teela shook her head. "Nothing," she replied as she waved her hand dismissively. "It's better to not even speak it aloud when I know it isn't possible."

Rain frowned slightly in confusion before she nodded her acceptance and then carried their empty tea cups and saucers to the sink and rinsed them before setting them on the drainboard to dry. "I think I'll go and get ready for bed and then turn in for the night."

Teela stood and hugged her cousin. "Thank you for coming along, Rain," she said. "I'm so glad to have another woman here with me that I actually know."

"I was glad to do it," Rain smiled at her. "Now that I've gotten to meet Prince Vlacan, I'm even happier to have come along."

Teela grinned and they left the kitchen. "Good night," she said.

"Night," Rain replied and they went to their rooms.

Teela entered her room and stood studying Adam intently for a few moments as he sat in the chair near the window reading. Glancing momentarily out the window, she thought it odd that it was bed time and the sun had not even set yet, though it was nearly dusk.

Looking at her husband once more, she thought about the conversation she'd had with Rain and the explanation she'd come up with for his disappearances. Could it possibly be? It would explain so much...

Adam looked up from the book he was reading and smiled at his wife. "How did your talk with Laraina go?" he asked.

Teela blinked and smiled at him as she moved closer to him. "Fine," she replied. "She doesn't have any problem with you acting as her guardian, so long as you don't become over-protective. She says that she is an adult and perfectly capable of making her own decisions."

Adam chuckled as he pulled her onto his lap and kissed her gently. "Sounds familiar..."

Teela grinned unrepentantly at him and shrugged. "I need to go prepare for bed; breakfast is at the seventh hour, correct?"

Adam nodded and kissed her again before releasing her.

After Teela had finished preparing for bed, she and Adam settled into the large, comfortable bed and Teela snuggled close to him, resting her head on his chest as he put his arms around her.

"Good night," Adam said softly.

"Good night," Teela replied as she closed her eyes.


	22. Adventurous Day Out

**I had a chance to finish this chapter finally so I thought I'd get it out while I have a spare moment. Hope you like it! Feedback is welcome and I thank everyone who responds! You all rock! Enjoy...**

The next morning, precisely on time, Vleramar arrived to escort them to the dining room where they were to have breakfast with Prince Vlacan.

Adam looked surprised when he saw the round table that was just large enough for the four of them. "Good morning Vlacan," Adam said with a smile. "I hope you slept well."

"Good morning to you, Adam," Vlacan said, returning his smile and standing. "I did. I hope that you all slept well, also." He moved to where they were and bowed his head at Teela. "Princess."

"Prince Vlacan," she said with a curtsey.

"Please, while we are alone, it's just Vlacan," he said before turning his attention to Laraina. "My Lady," he greeted with a bow. "Welcome."

Rain curtsied and smiled as she bowed her head in greeting. "Thank you for inviting us to have breakfast with you, your highness."

"I insist that you call me Vlacan as well, when we are not in the company of the court or my parents," he told her. "And you can also dispense with the formalities while there's no one else around," he grinned, when she inclined her head in response to his first statement.

Laraina smiled as he held her chair for her and took her seat.

"What shall I call you, Lady?" he asked as he took her hand and kissed the top of it.

Laraina blushed prettily and glanced at Teela and Adam, who were both smiling at her, before replying, "My friends call me Rain."

"Rain..." Vlacan said softly and Rain barely managed to suppress the shudder of pleasure the sound of her nickname on his lips gave her. "That's beautiful."

Rain blushed again. "Thank you."

Adam lightly cleared his throat and Vlacan tore his gaze from the enchanting young woman to look at him with a sheepish grin.

"I apologize for being rude," he said.

"Not at all," Adam assured him with a smile.

Vlacan motioned with his hand and servants filled the room serving them their breakfast and pouring drinks for them all.

"So tell me how you and your lovely wife met," Vlacan said to Adam after breakfast was served and the servants had left them alone.

"We grew up together," Adam told him. "My father and her father have been best friends for many years and when my father was made king, her father became his man-at-arms. We've known each other our whole lives. A little over a year ago Teela was nearly killed by Skeletor and while I waited for news as to whether or not she would live, I finally realized that I was in love with her."

"So when she was well you began to court her?" Vlacan asked with a smile.

"No," Adam sighed. "I was afraid she didn't return my feelings so I kept them to myself. It wasn't until the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull told us that she had had a vision that if I didn't marry Teela within the month I would die, that we started courting. We married and, while I was out for an early morning walk the morning after our wedding, a madman snuck into our bedroom while Teela was in the lavatory. When she came out, she disarmed him and knocked him unconscious and the guards took him away."

Vlacan looked surprised at this. "You are more brave than most ladies of the court," he said with an approving smile at Teela.

"I was Captain of the royal guard until I was told that I was to marry Adam," she told him. "If he had married a courtier they would both likely be dead now."

"So you married for convenience?" Vlacan asked in confusion.

"Initially," Teela responded as she took Adam's hand. "But I love my husband as much as he loves me and we are very lucky to have one another."

"It is always better when one can marry for love," Vlacan said wistfully, glancing at Rain before turning his attention back to his food. "If I do not find a wife before my twenty-first birthday, my father is free to choose someone on my behalf and I haven't liked any of his choices so far. My parents have been introducing me to every young noblewoman of marrying age for the last three years," he sighed.

"When is your twenty-first birthday?" Adam asked as he glanced at Teela.

"In six months," he replied. "If my father gets to choose for me, he will choose a union that will benefit the kingdom in some way. Lord Aghermoor's daughter is the most likely candidate, since an alliance with them would mean that we would gain more farmland and they would gain the protection of our army. She's a very nice girl, but I am just not in love with her and I don't believe I ever could be."

Rain reached over and took his hand and he started. When she went to pull away, apologizing for being so bold, he quickly grabbed her hand and smiled at her.

"It's quite all right," he told her softly.

Teela's eyes slid toward her husband and she found he was looking at her with the same smile she was giving him. If all went well, King Vlancar wouldn't have to choose a bride for his son after all.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After breakfast, Vlacan gave them all a tour of the palace and the surrounding city of Vlystagna, finding a quaint inn to have lunch before heading back to the palace.

"Your kingdom is lovely," Rain said as they ate their lunch. "I love the unusual trees and flowers that you have here; it gives the land a lovely smell."

"Some of the finest perfumes on the planet are made from the flowers we have here," he nodded.

"We'll have to go shopping then," Teela grinned at Rain.

Adam groaned good-naturedly as Teela elbowed him lightly in the ribs.

Rain smiled at them and rolled her eyes; this was the Adam and Teela she remembered from childhood.

"My sister is returning home tomorrow," Vlacan told them, "she and my mother would love to take you shopping, as it is one of their favorite hobbies."

"I didn't realize you had a sister," Adam said in surprise.

Vlacan nodded. "You've probably met her," he said, "we sent her to join the Masters; Jevren?"

"_Jevren_ is your sister?" Teela asked with wide eyes. "I've seen her, but we haven't had the opportunity to meet yet."

"Don't let the whole warrior/sorceress thing intimidate you," he said with a grin, "underneath that tough exterior she is all girl."

Adam looked at Teela with a raised eyebrow. "Sounds like someone _else_ I know."

Teela glared at him and turned her head with a sniff as Vlacan and Rain laughed.

"Our mother is queen of the elf tribe of Jelvarin," he told them. "When my grandmother died our kingdoms were merged, but since they don't accept males as their monarchs, Mother was named queen. She appointed her younger sister to be the regent in her stead and she reports directly to my mother."

They finished eating and were preparing to head back to the palace when there was a loud crashing noise and several screams from outside.

"What's happening?" Teela asked, instantly on guard.

"Gorgantus!" a frightened woman said as she burst into the front doors of the inn.

Vlacan frowned and drew his sword. "I must ask you to remain here and protect the women," he said to Adam. "These beasts take them back to their village to make sex slaves of them."

Rain's eyes widened and she stepped closer to Teela as Vlacan ran out of the inn.

"Stay with Rain out of sight," Adam told Teela as he drew his own sword and moved toward the back of the inn.

"Where is he going?" Rain asked Teela. "They're out that way," she said as she pointed toward the front door.

"He's gone to get help," Teela assured her. "If I'm right," she murmured under her breath.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Adam found an empty room at the back of the inn and raised his sword in the air.

"By the power of Grayskull," he said and immediately felt the power of Grayskull infuse him, causing him to grow a bit taller and fill out more in musculature. "I have the Power!" he yelled when the transformation was complete.

He-Man opened the door and looked down at the startled man that nearly ran into him. "Is there a back door to this place?" he asked the man. "I'm thinking I can sneak up on them and take them by surprise."

The man nodded and pointed down the narrow hallway. "End of the hall, take a left."

"Thanks," He-Man smiled and headed the way he'd been told. He stepped out of the door and climbed the back of the building to the roof to get an idea of what he was up against. When he looked down onto the main street, he saw men that were all much taller than he surrounding a cart full of frightened young women. The men of Vlystagna were fighting them with their swords in an effort to rescue the women with Prince Vlacan leading the group.

Seeing an opening, He-Man jumped down into the center of the melee and blocked a swing from one of the Gorgantus' swords as it came alarmingly close to the prince's head.

He-Man managed to disarm the giant and flung him into a group of his friends before he made his way toward the cart full of frightened women. As each of the Gorgantus attacked him, he made quick work of disarming them and knocking them unconscious and when the last one was down, he told the men nearby to help the women and find a place of safety before he went to go help the villagers fight the rest of the invaders.

A female scream caused him to turn around and he saw one of the giants come out of the inn carrying Teela in one arm and Rain in the other. He scowled as he made his way toward him. "I'd put them down if I were you," he said.

Teela, who was scratching, biting and clawing at her captor looked at He-Man with wide eyes and she got an odd smile before she began trying to escape once more.

"He-Man," Rain exclaimed, "thank the Ancients!"

The monstrous man set Teela and Rain aside before drawing his sword and lunging toward the hero.

Prince Vlacan hurried over to them and quickly looked them over. "Are you hurt?" he asked with worry evident in his eyes.

"No," Rain assured him.

"We're fine," Teela promised.

"Where is Adam?" he asked.

Teela's eyes flicked towards He-Man for a brief moment before she looked at him. "He went to get help."

Vlacan nodded in relief and turned his attention back toward the battle between the two huge men.

He-Man blocked a swing of the giant man's sword with his own and the two continued their sword duel until He-Man swung and managed to knock the taller man's sword from his hands. With a mighty punch to the jaw, the man fell hard and lay unconscious in the street.

He-Man looked around and saw that the royal army was moving in to arrest those that were still unconscious and he moved toward Teela and the others, bowing slightly. "Your highness'," he said. "Are you all right?" he asked Teela.

"I'm fine He-Man," she smiled. "Thank you."

"Lady Laraina?" he asked as he looked at the young woman.

"I'm all right," she assured him. "Thank you for coming to help us; I didn't know you were here on the southern continent."

He-Man smiled and shrugged.

"Prince Vlacan," Teela said, "may I introduce you to He-Man?"

He-Man cringed inwardly as he remembered that he wasn't supposed to know the prince. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said with another bow.

"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you," Vlacan said with a look of awe.

"I'm afraid that I must be going," He-Man said. "I have matters to attend to elsewhere."

"Yes, of course," Vlacan nodded and watched as the hero disappeared down the street.

Teela watched him go with a thoughtful look before turning her attention to her cousin and her host. "We should see if anyone needs help while we wait for Adam to return."

"I need to speak to my guards," he told her uncertainly.

"We'll stay within sight of the inn," Teela promised.

Vlacan agreed and moved to speak to the captain of the guard while Teela and Laraina offered what assistance they could to the frightened villagers.

Adam arrived a short time later and hugged his wife. "I'm so glad you're safe," he said before looking at Rain. "And I'm glad you're safe, as well."

"Thank you, your highness," Rain smiled.

Vlacan joined them and smiled at Adam. "Shall we return to the palace? I need to report to my father before it's time for the evening meal."

"Of course," Adam said as he watched Vlacan place Rain's hand in the crook of his arm. Offering his own arm to his wife, he smiled when she accepted and they all headed back to the palace.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

At dinner that night the king and queen apologized profusely to their guests for the incident in the city that afternoon.

"It's quite all right," Adam assured them. "You had no control over it."

"We have a treaty with their king that stopped the raids and has kept most of their men from stealing our women away," King Vlancar told them, "but there is one village that refuses to accept their king's orders to stop attacking us. I'm afraid once their king finds out what they've done, as per our treaty, their punishment will be quite severe."

"Is there anything that I or my father can do to assist you?" Adam asked.

"No, but I thank you for the offer," King Vlancar said with a grateful nod.

"Please let us know if you think of something," Adam told him.

King Vlancar nodded.

The meal continued and then the usual entertainment began and before long it was time to head to their suite for the night.

Prince Vlacan once again escorted them to their suite and he paused outside the door after Adam and Teela entered to ask Rain if she would like to take a walk with him in the royal gardens.

"I'd love to," Rain smiled. "I have to let Prince Adam and Teela know where I'm going to be."

"Of course," Vlacan agreed.

Rain stepped into the suite. "Prince Vlacan would like me to take a walk with him in the gardens," she told them. "I've accepted his invitation; I won't be out too late."

Adam smiled at her and nodded his approval.

Teela hugged her cousin and whispered something that made Rain blush before she rolled her eyes at her and then she turned and left to rejoin the prince of Aragnor.

"What did you say to her?" Adam asked curiously.

"I told her that Prince Vlacan will likely ask you tomorrow for permission to officially court her," she grinned.

Adam chuckled lightly and nodded. "I'm expecting him to any time now. I suppose I should contact her father and let him know what's happening."

"Wait until he actually makes the request," Teela advised. "That way if it doesn't happen, he won't have gotten his hopes up needlessly." She moved to her husband and put her arms around his neck, kissing him soundly. "If I figured out what your secret is on my own, would you be able to tell me if I'm right?" she asked.

Adam blinked at her. "I'm not sure," he said. "I can ask."

Teela grinned. "Then ask," she said. "Because if I'm right, you and I will have a lot to talk about."

Adam swallowed and looked at her worriedly. "Are you going to tell me now?"

Teela shook her head. "No," she said. "I want to know whether or not you can tell me if I'm right before I say anything."

Adam groaned and sat heavily on the sofa.

Teela laughed and sat beside him, wrapping her arms around his waist as she rested her head on his chest. "I love you."


End file.
